


Through a Mirror Darkly

by Ithiel_Dragon



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Romance, Rough Sex, Slavery, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-03-13 22:22:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3398381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithiel_Dragon/pseuds/Ithiel_Dragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was days like this that Jim sometimes wondered what his life might have been like if he'd taken that Starfleet Officer in the bar up on his offer. Then he reminded himself, that if he had, he would probably be dead already. And while that didn't exactly make him feel any better about the current situation, it reminded him that things could definitely be worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As always, big thanks to my beta [NurseDarry](http://archiveofourown.org/users/NurseDarry/pseuds/NurseDarry).

It was days like this that Jim sometimes wondered what his life might have been like if he'd taken that Starfleet Officer in the bar up on his offer. Then he reminded himself, that if he had, he would probably be dead already. And while that didn't exactly make him feel any better about the current situation, it reminded him that things could definitely be worse.

"How close?" Jim asked his helmsman as he eyed the Bird of Prey nervously on the viewscreen.

"Two hundred and twenty kilometers, Captain," the Vulcan replied without missing a beat. Jim had tried telling Spock several times that he didn't need to call Jim that. But Spock had seemed strangely resistant to the idea so eventually Jim had just given up reminding him.

Spock certainly had his quirks, but the he had proven to be a valuable member of Jim's small crew aboard the _Ricochet_. Jim had picked him up from the ice planet Delta Vega, half-frozen, half-starved, and more than a little half-mad in Jim's opinion. Not that Jim could really blame him after what had happened to Vulcan, and apparently the old man had a front row seat. He'd never told Jim how he'd gotten there, and Jim hadn't asked after the first time. It wasn't really any of his business. All that really mattered to Jim was that the old man pulled his weight on his ship, and Spock was a brilliant tactician and pilot. Which worked out well for Jim since the only reason Jim had been on Delta Vega to begin with was to maroon his former pilot who'd tried to take more than his share of their last score. He'd picked up a damn good engineer at the same time, so it was a win-win in Jim's opinion.

"Scotty, I want the engines ready to warp when I give the word," Jim contacted said engineer over the ship's com.

_"Jim, I don't know if the engines can take it. She took a hell of a beatin'..."_

"Not an option, Scotty. Make it work," Jim replied, and cut the communication. He eyed the Bird of Prey again. He'd never seen one out this far. At least, not a single ship without a whole armada behind it. Maybe it was a scout? The Klingons had been moving out further and further into uncharted regions of space in search of new worlds to conquer. Nowhere was safe anymore, between the Klingons and the Romulans.

It had all begun with the destruction of Vulcan. Jim had heard that Starfleet had sent every ship at its disposal when they received the distress signal from the planet, and they had been massacred. An entire fleet of ships against one and they had been slaughtered. Then the Romulan ship had turned to Earth.

It had been pure luck that Jim had managed to join up with a crew of off-world ore miners mere months before Earth was destroyed. He'd heard stories that the Romulan ship responsible wasn't even affiliated with the Empire, but when Earth went down, and Starfleet along with it, the Romulans had been all too eager to claim credit for it. War was inevitable between the Romulan Empire and what had been left of the Federation, and it had been inevitable that the Federation would lose. In the chaos, the Klingons had sniffed out an opportunity to strike both sides. The Federation had fallen pretty quickly after that, and the Romulans and Klingons had been fighting over the scraps of what had been left in the years since.

Humans had lost before the war had really begun. There weren't many humans left out there these days, just a few colonies here and there. Jim had stowed away on a ship to get off of the mining colony when he heard that the Klingon war fleet was heading in their direction. A lot of people had tried. Not many had made it. He had been one of the lucky ones, again. Unfortunately, his luck hadn't held; he'd been caught and nearly sold into slavery. That was when Bones found him.

"Do you think they've spotted us?" Jim asked the older man standing beside him.

"I don't think so. But if we stay here they will find us sooner or later," Bones replied. For all intents and purposes, McCoy was his 'second-in-command,' if they bothered with those kinds of things. Jim had managed to escape from the slavers who had bought him and who had intended to sell him at some exotic alien slave market. He managed to kill two of the handsy bastards during his escape, but ended up with a broken arm and knife in the back for the effort. He would have bled to death if Bones hadn't literally stumbled across him in the back alley behind a bar.

The man had been stinking drunk, but his hands had still been steady when he patched Jim up. Apparently Bones had been a doctor at one point, and had washed out of Starfleet (probably due to the alcoholism) not long before the whole Nero thing had gone down. Lucky for him, Bones had been working for some smugglers as a medic, and took Jim to meet them once he was well enough. They agreed to let Jim join up with their crew, taught him the ropes, and he worked hard to earn his keep.

When their ship was attacked by a random Romulan patrol, their 'captain' ended up being one of the many casualties the crew had suffered. But Jim had taken command and gotten them out of that mess, and afterwards, had been nominated to take over as their leader. And although Jim had made Bones his second-in-command, the doctor was still drunk most days, and frankly, Jim didn't blame him. Jim had often joined him in trying to drown out his sorrows at the bottom of a bottle. But when Bones was sober, he'd always been someone that Jim could count on when the shit had hit the fan. And the shit was definitely flying today. But at least Bones was stone-cold sober for once.

"You think we should make a run for it?" Jim asked, looking Bones in the eye. The one he had left. The other had been taken out during an unfortunate job gone bad and he'd ended up getting slashed with a vibro-knife. Bones had been lucky he had just lost the eye and picked up a nasty scar that made him look more like a pirate than the rest of them. Definitely more than Jim did with his pretty face and baby blues. The only plus side of Jim's boyish good looks in this business was that people often underestimated him, and that gave Jim an advantage in most cases.

"We probably won't make it." The reply wasn't really an answer, but Jim knew that Bones was most likely right. Just like Scotty was right. Their ship had really taken a beating from those other pirates.

The score had been theirs, damn it. They'd caught the cargo ship unawares and sent the remaining crew that had surrendered off in escape pods to take their chances. They'd been in the process of moving the cargo, which would have fetched a pretty penny. But the pirates had shown up, and apparently hadn't received the same lessons Jim had regarding honor among thieves. Their ship had been fired on. A lot of good men had died, but they had given back as good as they got and managed to get away. Limped away was more like it.

Landing on the small planetoid in the middle of nowhere while they made repairs had seemed like a good idea until the Bird of Prey had shown up. No way they were a match for her in firepower, even with the impressive modifications that Scotty had made to the ship. Normally they would have been able to run without a problem, but if the engines were as badly damaged as the engineer implied, and the Bird of Prey spotted them before they could make it into warp, _if_ they could make it into warp...

"If we're discovered, I calculate our chances of survival at point two percent, Captain." Spock piped up and that kind of settled the matter.

"We've got to chance it. Get us going, Spock," Jim ordered.

"Destination, Captain?"

"Anywhere but here."

The old Vulcan gave him a nod and Jim took his seat. This was probably going to be a bumpy ride. The ship began to rumble as Spock brought the flight systems back online. The Bird of Prey, which had been floating rather harmlessly-looking on the viewscreen, suddenly turned towards them.

"Shit."

"They've spotted us, Jim," Bones stated and Jim snorted.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Scotty you better have those engines ready to go." Jim sent the last part over the ship's com.

_"She's as ready as she'll ever be, Jim."_

"The Klingon ship is firing, Captain."

"Get us out of here, Spock. Now!"

The _Ricochet_ rocked violently as the blast hit them. Bones was thrown off his feet. Sparks erupted from several instrument panels, including the pilot's terminal. Jim heard Spock's cry of pain. Jim was thrown out of his seat, but at least he saw the blur of starlight trails on the main terminal which meant they'd successfully made it into warp.

_"Jim the engines...!"_

Whatever Scotty was going to say was cut short by a scream of tearing metal and the howling of the emergency alarms. The ship lurched like a wounded animal, throwing Jim halfway across the bridge where he cracked his skull against one of the consoles. The last thought that passed through his throbbing head before he blacked out was the hope that he would be unconscious when the ship tore itself apart, because dying from depressurization in space really wasn't the way he wanted to go.

* * *

... Jim...

... Wake... up...

... damn it...

His head snapped to the side from the blow and Jim jerked awake with a pained gasp as his eyes flew open.

"About time," grumbled a familiar voice that held equal measures of annoyance and concern.

"Is slapping your patient into consciousness considered standard bedside manner, Doctor?" Jim muttered rubbing the side of his stinging face. Bones snorted softly as he helped him to sit up.

"For you it is. Now look at me." Jim did as he was told. Bones checked his pupil dilation, and felt along his skull. Jim hissed when the doctor's fingers brushed over the spot where he'd struck his head. That was going to leave a mark. "You've got a good lump, but I don't think you have a concussion. You've got a head harder than titanium alloy."

"My mother always thought so. How's the rest of the crew?" Jim asked, looking around the bridge. It was...a mess. He saw downed beams and hanging wires everywhere, and only the red emergency lights were working. It was pretty obvious wherever they were, they weren't going anywhere else anytime soon. He wondered if they even had life support, or if they were running out of air even as they spoke.

"At least two dead. Communications are down, the engines are completely shot, but we've still got life support at least," Bones informed him. "Spock got a few nasty burns, but he should be okay. I gave him something that put him out for the pain, but we need to get him to the infirmary."

Jim nodded in understanding. "All right, let's go."

Bones helped him up but made sure Jim was steady on his feet before they went over to the old Vulcan. Bones already had a blanket ready and between the two of them they managed to transfer the old man onto it and down to the infirmary. The power seemed to be out in most of the ship, conserving what little they had for life support, most likely. Jim left Spock in the doctor's care and then ran down to engineering, though he was dreading what Scotty might tell him about the ship's condition.

* * *

"We're dead in the water, Jim. Even if I could get the power restored, the engines are too damaged. I don't have what it would take to repair them, even to give us impulse much less warp speed, which is what it would take for us to reach the nearest port."

Yep, it was just as bad as he had feared.

"Fuck."

"Maybe if we activated the emergency beacon..." Scotty offered, and Jim couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.

"And how many distress signals have we 'responded' to, Scotty?" Jim asked, and the engineer frowned. But it was true. If they activated the emergency beacon, the best they could hope for would be to attract a deep scavenger doing exactly what they were doing, who might let them use the life support pods to escape while they stripped their ship of anything remotely salvageable for profit. Or, whoever found them might just kill them outright instead of leaving them to drift helplessly in space. At worst, their 'rescuers' could lead the Bird of Prey they had just barely escaped from right back to them to finish the job.

But they might not have a choice...

"Jim!"

He turned to face K'Nelin. The female Catian had been a part of the original crew before Jim had taken command. She was tough as nails and better than most of the men on Jim's crew in hand to hand combat. And she wasn't afraid to give any of them a kick upside the head if she felt they needed it. She and Jim had hit it off from the beginning, even had some fun together from time to time, and she had supported Jim in taking command when their old captain had died. Right now she seemed more excited than alarmed, which hopefully meant some good news, and not that the Bird of Prey had found them after all and had come to finish the job.

"What is it?"

"Another ship, off the port side," she explained and Jim felt himself go cold. Maybe he'd spoken too soon.

"Klingons?"

"No. Terran design by the look of it, an old one. Just sitting there. No life signs. I thought we might be able to salvage it for repairs," she explained and Jim beamed. Maybe their luck was improving after all.

"Let's go check it out.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're a miracle worker, Scotty! When we get to port I'm buying you a shitload of drinks," Jim praised his engineer, slapping said engineer on the back in congratulations when they'd successfully docked with the other ship. It hadn't exactly been easy, their ship's thrusters were barely functional and the derelict ship floating adrift in space certainly wasn't any help. It took some clever maneuvering on their part, but they finally managed to secure the umbilical tube from their ship to what appeared to be the main entry hatch on the other vessel.

"Damn right ye are, lad. The good stuff too, not that piss ye drink," Scotty joked back and Jim laughed.

"All right, lets crack this baby open," he said, rubbing his hands together. Despite their dire situation, Jim couldn't help the feelings of excitement he had at the idea of getting a look inside the strange ship they'd found. He'd never seen anything like it, and K'Nelin wasn't kidding when she'd said the thing was old. What little scanning they'd been able to accomplish with their all-but-destroyed computer systems indicated that it was pre-warp technology. The ship's primary propulsion system ran on nuclear power. Nuclear! That type of power hadn't been used for at least two hundred years!

While that certainly wouldn't help them fix their own ship, there was still a chance they could salvage enough equipment that they could patch up the _Ricochet_ enough to make a quick warp hop to the nearest planet or starbase so they could repair her properly. But they wouldn't know that until they actually got on board the other ship to take a look.

Poor Spock. He was probably going to hate that he'd missed this. The old Vulcan had a surprising interest in Terran history. This would be a little like cracking open a time capsule and taking a peek at the twentieth century. It was almost too bad they'd probably have to tear the whole thing apart just to repair the _Ricochet_.

K'Nelin, Ox, and Jim stepped into the airlock in their space suits and made their way across the umbilical to the other ship. K'Nelin took out her portable scanner and used it to get a better reading on the ship than they'd been able to obtain from the _Ricochet_.

"It appears there's still pressure inside...and... I'm registering an increase in temperature," the Catian informed them in surprise, and Jim was definitely impressed. Not only was the hull still intact after floating out here all this time, but the power was actually functioning? Damn, for an old ship, she sure was sturdy. They could probably strip the outer plating to use to patch up some of the hull damage on the _Ricochet_ , and if some of the electronics were still functional, they might be able to salvage even more than they'd planned.

"Oxygen?" he asked.

"Yes, but only at about thirty percent so far, Jim. And I'm reading some unusual toxins in the atmosphere. We wouldn't survive long in that, so we should probably keep our helmets on inside," she warned.

"Noted. All right, Ox, you're up," Jim told the large green-skinned Orion male, who merely grunted in reply, but went to work trying to pry open the hatch of the derelict ship. Jim cast a look to K'Nelin who just shrugged, and Jim rolled his eyes behind the big Orion's back. 'Ox,' as he was called by his crewmates, because his full name was unpronounceable in Jim's opinion, had been a part of the _Ricochet's_ crew long before Jim had joined. In fact, he'd been what amounted to the second-in-command to their old captain, and had assumed he'd become the leader when their old captain had died. He'd been shocked, not to mention pissed off, when instead Jim had been elected by the other crew members to lead them. Ox had stayed on, but he was even more a pain in the ass than he'd been back before their captain had died. Jim honestly wasn't surprised no one had wanted him to be the one giving orders.

Now and then, Jim had contemplated telling Ox to take a hike if he didn't get rid of that planet-sized chip on his shoulder, but the sad fact was the Orion was damned good at what he did, and he had good contacts in the Syndicate. Jim didn't particularly enjoy dealing with the Syndicate, given their business in the slave trade, but despite the fact that the man was a pain in the ass, he hadn't done anything that bad to warrant Jim simply marooning him somewhere. Not unless Jim wanted his whole crew to mutiny.

The small, carefully-placed charges that Ox positioned around the hatch of the strange ship did their job well. They made it into the ancient ship and Jim activated a portable force field to cover the entryway, just in case the umbilical came loose for some reason and the ship depressurized. They all activated their emergency lights and made their way deeper into the vessel. It was definitely of Earth origin, and whatever the ship had been designed for, it was definitely built to last. Everything looked remarkably intact, even though it was covered in a thick layer ice crystals from the sub zero temperatures.  The entry corridor soon opened up into a much larger area that seemed to be a cargo hold of some kind. Long metal tubes were set into alcoves that lined the walls. At least six dozen by his count. Jim reached out to brush some of the accumulated frost and dust from the nearest tube and froze.

There was...a person inside. Jim moved toward the next tube and shined his light into it. Another person. Human, by the looks of it. In the next one as well. What the hell kind of ship was this? Some kind of...morgue? The men and women within the tubes certainly did not seem to be alive, but...

The lights suddenly came on within the ship, startling Jim in spite of himself. He turned to K'Nelin and found she was already checking her sensor readings without him having to ask.

"Systems seem to be powering up all over the ship, Jim. Temperature is almost within habitable range. Oxygen levels at fifty percent..." Her eyes went wide as she moved her sensor towards one of the tubes on the wall. "Jim... I'm getting life sign readings."

"What?!" Jim couldn't help but nearly shout in disbelief as he hurried over to the tube she was indicating. There was definitely some kind of activity happening. Lights and monitors began flashing on the tube. It seemed automated, whatever it was. "They're alive?!"

K'Nelin scanned a few of the other tubes, then nodded her head. "They're alive. In some kind of suspended animation, but alive."

Just what the hell had they stumbled on?

Ox came to stand beside Jim and peered down into the tube. "Interesting... This cargo could prove quite profitable indeed."

Jim's head snapped up to look at the big Orion with a frown.

"What do you mean?" He practically growled, already having an idea of what Ox was getting at, and he'd better be wrong...

"We're going to be stripping the ship down anyway. When we're done it, won't be functional, much less habitable anymore. Might as well not dump the cargo when we can make a profit off of it. The Syndicate would pay good money for such...unique wares." Jim felt his stomach drop. How the hell could he forget why they were here in the first place? Damn it, he was right too; there probably wouldn't be much left of this ship when they were done with it. They certainly couldn't just leave it be either, not unless they wanted to die, which Jim sure as hell didn't. But...

"We're not slavers," Jim stated firmly, his eyes narrowing. Jim had done some pretty shady things in his life, but that was one thing he refused to get involved with. A lot of that probably had to do with his own experiences of nearly being sold at a slave auction. That would have been his fate if Bones hadn't found him, and it was something Ox had never let him forget. But even without that... No...never. He was never getting involved in that.

Ox snorted in amusement.

"So, what are we going to do with the cargo then? Jettison them? Only you would think that murder is preferable to slavery," the Orion taunted.

"Stop calling them cargo! They're people, damn it!" Jim shouted, standing toe-to-toe with the big Orion, his hands clenching into fists at his side. Ox raised himself up to his full height and stared him down. Jim honestly wouldn't be surprised if they actually came to blows this time. Ox had been pushing him for a while now, and the only reason why he hadn't challenged Jim openly yet was because he didn't have the support of the rest of Jim's crew. If they did come to blows...the big Orion was probably going to turn him into a stain on the floor, but that didn't mean Jim wouldn't go down fighting.

Thankfully, they were interrupted by K'Nelin's exasperated voice before things could escalate further.

"If you're done dick-measuring, I'm reading an increased heartbeat and respiration from the man in this tube. Whatever is going on, he's waking up!" she said urgently, looking at Jim. Jim immediately turned his attention back to the pale dark-haired man within the tube.

"Can you stop it?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"It's all automated; probably triggered when we came on board. I have no idea how any of this equipment works. I could kill him if I try to stop it," she stated with exasperation. Her scanner started emitting an urgent beeping. She turned her attention back to it with a troubled frown.

"Heart rate is dropping. Something's wrong," she told him unnecessarily, as a panel on the tube began emitting sparks, clearly malfunctioning. "Respiration is erratic. I think he's dying..."

"Problem solved then." Ox muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Jim watched with wide eyes as the body inside began to convulse. If they did nothing he was going to die... Jim grabbed his communicator.

"Bones! I need you over here now! Bring your medkit," he transmitted, then turned to Ox. "Get this open."

The Orion raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now! That's an order!" Jim snapped, suffusing all the authority he could muster into the command. Ox snorted softly and rolled his eyes, but he went to work at least.

"It could kill him if we take him out of there," K'Nelin warned.

"It's going to kill him if we don't," he pointed out, and finally, between the three of them, they pried open the cryotube. Somehow they managed to wrestle the seizing man out of the tube and lowered him to the ground. Jim tried to hold him steady, but it wasn't easy, given how violently the man was shaking. Jim had a feeling if he hadn't been wearing his protective suit, the guy's skin would have given him frostbite just by touching him. He was pale as a ghost and his lips were blue. The man took a huge lungful of air and immediately began to choke.

"There's still not enough oxygen in the atmosphere!" K'Nelin observed and Jim cursed. If they didn't do something fast, the guy was going to suffocate.

"Shit." Jim cursed again and then took a deep lungful of air himself, and held his breath before quickly unfastening the helmet from his suit.

"Jim, what the hell are you doing?!" K'Nelin's transmitted shout was cut off when he removed his helmet. Hurriedly, he placed it over the choking man's head and deftly programmed it to filter out the toxins in the old ship's atmosphere and increase the oxygen output. The bitter cold atmosphere made Jim immediately begin to shake. Although, he knew he should be grateful that the ship had at least warmed up enough that he only had to worry about dying of hypothermia should he be exposed to it for too long, rather than immediately freeze solid instead.

His gamble at least seemed to have paid off. The man began to breathe easier almost immediately, though he still shook with a bone jarring force. Jim attempted to hold him more tightly against his chest, trying to impart what warmth he could. He had no idea if what he was doing was going to help at all...and his lungs were beginning to burn from lack of air.

Where the hell was Bones? He hoped K'Nelin had taken the initiative to call the doctor and tell him to bring an extra oxygen mask or something. A small eternity seemed to pass. Dark spots began to dance before Jim's eyes. Poisonous or not, he was going to have to take a breath of air soon.

Suddenly, pale eyes slid open to stare up at Jim with a surprising amount of clarity, given the state of the man he was holding. Jim felt his heart skip a beat when those intense eyes focused upon him, and he wasn't completely certain if it was just from lack of oxygen.

He was going to pass out...

Suddenly, a new helmet was shoved over his head, and Jim inhaled sharply, coughing roughly as he greedily sucked in oxygen. The ringing in his ears thankfully drowned out Bones' explicit cursing at him over his stupidity. He gave the doctor a lopsided grin which was ruined by another coughing fit, but Bones merely scowled at him before turning his attention to the man in Jim's arms.

Once it was secure, K'Nelin promptly smacked Jim on the back of his new helmet.

Once his heart rate began to return to a natural rhythm, Jim turned his attention back to the man he was still holding. The stranger was still looking at Jim intently. Finally a deep baritone voice, rough with disuse, and probably whatever contaminants had burned his esophagus before Jim had given him his helmet, whispered over the still-active comm.

"How... How long?"

"How long were you asleep?" Jim clarified. He received a weak nod from the other man. "At least two hundred years by my estimate. Welcome to the twenty-third century."


	3. Chapter 3

Their new 'guest' had been moved to the sickbay on the _Ricochet_.

The man had lost consciousness again not long after Jim's 'welcome'. He was lucky to be alive, Bones told him, coming out of cryogenic sleep the way he had. Most of his organs hadn't even been functioning yet, and the ones that were (like his heart) weren't doing all that well. Not to mention the fact that he was still, literally, half frozen! Four hours had passed now and while Bones informed him the man was improving he was still in critical condition.

Thankfully, none of the other cryogenic tubes seemed to have been programmed to automatically revive the people within them, so at least they didn't have to worry about them for the moment. There had been eighty-four in total, however the life support mechanisms within twelve of the tubes seemed to have malfunctioned at some point. The people inside them were dead. Honestly, Jim was a bit surprised that after all this time in space, more of the cryotubes hadn't stopped functioning. He'd ordered the remaining functional cryotubes to be transferred to their cargo hold on the _Ricochet_. He'd figure out what to do with them later. As far as Jim was concerned, their unexpected guests were a secondary concern. If they couldn't get the _Ricochet_ functional again, then they were all dead anyway.

So he ordered his crew to start stripping down the _SS Botany Bay_ and use whatever they could to make repairs to their own damaged vessel. The _Botany Bay_. Whoever had named the ship seemed to have had a strange sense of humor. Who named a starship after an Earth penal colony, after all?

According to the logs they'd managed to download from the ancient ship's memory banks, it was a DY-100 class sleeper ship. It had been built on Earth in the twentieth century, before warp technology existed, when it could take _years_ to travel to planets just within the Sol system, not to mention any outside of their star system. The cryogenic tubes now made more sense; being placed into suspended animation was the only way the crew would survive such a long journey in space.

The _Ricochet's_ crew couldn't find any information on what the vessel's mission parameters had been. The data was either too badly corrupted or simply missing. But according to the logs, the ship had launched in 1996. That was two hundred and sixty-three years ago! Who the hell would sign on for a mission like that? To go out into space, for years, centuries even, with maybe no chance of ever waking up? Might as well be a death sentence. Jim shuddered at the thought.

Though it did make Jim wonder. What if the _Botany Bay_ wasn't such a strange name for the sleeper ship after all? What if they had stumbled across some kind of prison ship full of criminals? Though that seemed to be a bit of an overkill, at least by twentieth century standards. What could these people have done that was so bad that they'd waste the most advanced type of starship technology humankind had had at the time just to get them off the planet? Killing them would certainly have been easier. So, yeah, as dramatic as that scenario might be, it was a bit far-fetched. And even if it were true, it wasn't like Jim himself was some kind of saint, and in any position to judge anyone by their actions. Besides, who the hell would care anymore what crimes these people may or may not have committed almost three hundred years ago on a dead planet?

But even if he didn't 'care', per say, he knew he would end up asking his new guest anyway, once the man regained consciousness. If nothing else, Jim was curious, but his decision about what to do with the man and the seventy-two cryotubes would probably depend a lot on the stranger's answer. As much as Jim hated to admit it, selling the 'cargo' to the Syndicate, or to some other slavers, was probably the 'best' option for Jim and his crew. It would certainly be the most profitable, especially considering how they'd lost their last score, and nearly gotten killed in the process. He could see a lot of his crew sharing Ox's opinion, even the ones who'd normally have found the slave trade as distasteful as Jim did. But maybe the stranger could give Jim a good enough reason for Jim and his crew to figure something else out, so Jim wouldn't have to rely on solely moral objections for his arguments.

He hoped that would be soon. He'd told Bones to comm him as soon as the stranger regained consciousness again. While it might be a secondary concern, the sooner he talked to him and figured out what to do with their new 'cargo,' the better. Jim wanted to pass his decision on to the rest of his crew before Ox could fill their ears with promises of credits, if he hadn't already. In the meantime, Jim was helping Scotty make repairs to get the main power restored. Getting the cannibalized parts, especially the ancient avionics from the _Botany Bay_ to play nice with the old, but not _that_ old, systems of the _Ricochet_ certainly wasn't easy. But they were slowly making progress.

Jim untangled himself from the mess of wires he'd been working on splicing back together and then hammered the panel back into place. He stood and stretched with a groan as his back popped in several places. Swiping the back of his hand over his forehead, he wiped away some of the sweat that had collected there, but smeared even more grease onto his face.

"All right, Scotty! Fire it up!" he shouted to the engineer above. Then Jim stood back and waited as the generators made some very unhealthy whirring and grinding noises as they attempted to power up.

"Come on, you big hunk of junk, make me proud." Jim muttered under his breath. Finally, after several loud clanks and a violent shudder, the generators lurched to life and power began to flicker on all over the previously dark controls. The red emergency lights flashed and winked out, to be replaced by the much brighter mains. There were several whoops of excitement from his crew when the lights came on, and Jim grinned as he climbed up the ladder and received several high-fives and slaps on the back. Now all they needed was to get the hull patched up and the warp core working and maybe they'd make it out of this alive after all.

* * *

Leonard pulled off his blood-stained gloves with a heavy sigh and then drew the white sheet up over the now-dead body lying on the biobed. The kid had only been sixteen. What a fucking waste.

Leonard reached into his pocket and took a deep drink from the flask he pulled out. The strong alcohol burned as it went down but did nothing to relive the tightness of his throat. He turned away from the body. It would have to be disposed of later, he just didn't have the time now. He had too many other patients to see to. This wasn't the first patient he'd lost today and it probably wouldn't be the last. Between the pirates and the Klingons they'd lost six crewmembers in total. Another thirteen were injured. Far too many for Leonard to effectively treat by himself, but unfortunately he was the only crew member aboard who had any kind of medical training. But, even a piss-poor, half-blind doctor was better than none at all at this point.

Leonard took another deep drink from the flask, hoping that it would help steady his shaking hands before he moved onto his next patient. Thankfully the extent of the young woman's injuries seemed to be a mild concussion and a few lacerations that would need stitching. Even _he_ could manage that. He wasn't sure he could handle losing yet another patient today.

This was all Jim's fault. Not the current situation, but the fact that Leonard was once again put in the position where he was responsible for another person's life. Which was something that Leonard never wanted to be responsible for again. He wasn't even a real doctor anymore, damn it, he'd lost his medical license the same day he'd washed out of Starfleet.

It had been a complete accident. Their meeting. He'd literally stumbled across the younger man, bleeding to death, when he'd been thrown out of that bar on a planet he couldn't even remember the name of he'd been so drunk at the time. He only remembered it had pissed him off since he'd been fully planning on drinking himself unconscious, or to death. It was his daughter's birthday...or would have been if she were still alive. She'd been killed, along with his ex-wife, when Nero had destroyed the Earth. Along with billions of others. And the idea of going on that day, of all days...was just too much. Why did he have to live when so many others had died? Why did he have to go on? A pathetic failed excuse for a human being, while his daughter...

And then, when he'd seriously been considering simply stepping out in front of traffic and putting an end to it all, he tripped over a half-dead Jim Kirk. Really, the boy should have already been dead, given his wounds. But somehow he was still alive. Fighting to live. Fighting for every breath he took and with every beat of his weakening heart. It had triggered something inside of Leonard that had long been dormant, and for some reason, instead of picking himself up and just leaving the young man in the alley to die, (as he probably would have any other day), Leonard did everything he could to save Jim Kirk's life.

Only now, ever since that day, Jim expected the same of him and...

"All right, you can go. Come back if you experience any dizziness or nausea," Leonard told the young woman he'd finished treating. She thanked him and he watched her leave the sickbay. Leonard sighed heavily and ran a weary hand across his face. It was all he could do to resist reaching for the flask in his pocket again. Jim didn't like it when he drank on the 'job,' so Leonard was careful to only drink enough to settle his nerves. He couldn't risk impairing his judgement. At least she was the last crewmember he had to treat for the moment. He'd already done everything he could for the rest of his patients, and those that remained in the sickbay were only there for observation.

All but one.

Leonard frowned as he made his way to the small isolation area of the sickbay where they'd placed the stranger who had been brought on board. The man that should have been dead. Who probably would have died if not for the idiotic actions of one Jim Kirk. It had still been touch-and-go for a while, despite Leonard's best efforts, but the man had simply refused to die. Kind of like someone else he knew. He had finally stabilized only about an hour ago, and now Leonard was all but certain he would live. In fact, his vitals seemed to be improving exponentially every time he checked on the man. Right now, even though the stranger was still deeply unconscious, his heart valve action had twice the power of a normal human being, and his lung efficiency was fifty percent greater. Leonard McCoy might not be much of a doctor anymore, but he knew that sure as hell wasn't normal. Whatever this man was...he wasn't human.

"What the hell are you?" Leonard muttered under his breath as he leaned over the man to adjust the sensor cluster above the biobed. Maybe it was malfunctioning and giving him wrong readings...

Before he knew it, the patient's hand shot out as fast as a viper and gripped his neck like an iron vice. The man had been all but on death's doorstep not an hour ago, how the hell could he be awake now? But the pale blue eyes that stared up at him were very aware and the man appeared quite lucid as he examined Leonard warily. Several moments of complete silence passed between them, each of them apparently waiting for the other to make the next move.

"Well are you going to choke me or not?" Leonard finally snapped almost impatiently. The other man's eyes widened in apparent surprise.

"English... I thought I'd dreamed it..." The stranger whispered, half to himself, then his expression turned hard. "Where am I?"

"You're... " The hand around his neck squeezed tighter and Leonard grunted in discomfort, but he lowered his voice and continued, with no small amount of annoyance. "You're in bed, about to choke your doctor."

"Answer my question," the other man demanded, his voice still weak and raw from earlier damage yet still sounding menacing. Quite an impressive feat, Leonard had to admit, given the state of him.

"If you're going to do it, just get it over with, dammit," Leonard growled back. A tense silence stretched between them and he knew the other man could feel every beat of his heart. Leonard was a bit surprised just how steady his heartbeat was in fact. Finally the strange man almost smiled and suddenly released him.

"I like a brave man," he said, as though that explained everything. Leonard frowned and resisted the urge to rub his neck. He could already feel the bruises forming there from the man's fingers.

"I was just trying to avoid an argument," Leonard replied, casting another look to the sensors above the biobed. Guess they weren't malfunctioning after all. "You're on the deep space salvage vessel _Ricochet_. We discovered your vessel adrift in space."

That, at least, was their cover story if they ever needed to offer one. The man's eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. But surprisingly his next question wasn't what Leonard had suspected.

"I remember a voice when I woke... A young man... He said I had been asleep for two centuries?"

Honestly Leonard was astounded. Given the state the man had been in when he awoke, it was nothing short of amazing he'd remembered anything at all. It was amazing he was even awake now, not to mention completely lucid and coherent!

"Closer to three, actually," Leonard informed him. The man seemed to take a few moments to process this before he finally nodded.

"My people?"

"Seventy-two are still in cryogenic sleep. Twelve cryopods were no longer functioning when we found you." Leonard said this with no small amount of sympathy. Unsurprisingly the man's eyes filled with sorrow at the news, but whatever grief he might be feeling was quickly hidden away once more behind a blank mask. The man nodded again as though Leonard had merely given him an update on the weather.

"Would you like a moment alone?" Leonard asked anyway. The stranger shook his head.

"The man who was there when I awoke?"

"Jim?"

"He is your leader? Your captain?"

Leonard nodded. "More or less."

The man raised an eyebrow at Leonard's response, but he did not ask for clarification.

"I wish to speak to him. I have many questions."


	4. Chapter 4

Jim was hanging practically upside down in an access tunnel trying to pry loose a piece of fried circuitry when he got the comm from Bones.

 _"Jim, I've got a patient here with many questions,"_ the doctor announced to him in a dry tone.

"I'll be down in a minute, Bones," he replied, then went back to what he was doing. Honestly he was surprised to get a call from the doctor so soon. He finally managed to rip out the ruined circuit board and tossed it into the growing pile outside the jefferies tube. He really hoped they would be able to find something that could work as a replacement aboard the _Botany Bay_.

He crawled out of the tube and wiped his hands on a grease-stained towel before calling over to Scotty.

"Hey, Scotty. I'll be back in a little while. Have you got things under control?"

"What, you don't think I can handle reconfiguring the primary driver coil without you here to hold my hand? Oh ye of little faith!" the engineer shouted back, sounding annoyed. Then he heard him yelling at Keenser again, "Get off there, it's not a climbing frame!"

"I'll just leave you to it then," Jim said, though he didn't think the engineer was listening to him anymore. He simply shrugged to himself and started towards sickbay. He knew better than to bother Scotty when he was in this kind of mood.

When he entered the sickbay, he found the doctor checking the dermaplastic grafts which had been applied to Spock's hands and face to treat the burns that the Vulcan had received earlier.

"How's he doing?" Jim asked as he came to stand beside the doctor, looking down at the unconscious old Vulcan on the bed.

"Better. He was lucky, it could have been a lot worse. He's still sedated for the pain, but I'll probably be able to start lowering the dosage soon. In a week, the grafts can be removed. He should make a complete recovery." The doctor only turned to face Jim once he was finished. When he did, Jim's eyes widened in alarm seeing the blackened bruises around his friend's neck. They sure as hell hadn't been there the last time he'd seen the doctor.

"Fuck, Bones! What the hell happened to you?"

"Courtesy of our guest," McCoy told him, waving off his concern. "It's nothing."

"Wait... He did _that_? How?" Jim asked looking back and forth between the painful-looking bruising -no matter what Bone's claimed- and the isolation area where their 'guest' was being kept. Even though Jim didn't doubt the older man's words, it was still hard to believe.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Come and have a look at this." Bones made his way over to his desk and handed Jim a datapad that had been lying on it. It appeared to be a bioscan of some kind, which the doctor confirmed. "It's his latest scans. Notice anything out of the ordinary?"

Jim studied the readouts, then his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I'm no doctor, but... I'm impressed, Bones." Only a few hours ago the man had been more than half-dead and now...

Bones snorted in amusement.

"Right. Trust me, Jim, I'm not _that_ good. That's all him. Even as he is now, all of his internal organs are operating at a greater efficiency than a man his age in perfect health. His cells are regenerating like nothing I've ever seen, and even as weakened as he is, I'd estimate he could lift both of us with one hand." The doctor rubbed a little at the bruising around his neck and winced. "Whatever he is, Jim, he might look human but he's not."

"Then what is he?" Jim asked, setting the datapad back down on the doctor's desk.

"Maybe you should go ask him. Just be careful," the doctor warned, and Jim nodded. Bones went back to checking on his other patients, and Jim headed to the isolation area. The man inside was awake, lying in the biobed propped up slightly with pillows, and he turned his attention to Jim as soon as the captain entered the room. The stranger definitely looked a lot better than the last time Jim had seen him, and if possible, those blue eyes were even more intense than before as they swept over his body.

"You are the captain?" the man in the bed asked, giving Jim another once over. Jim looked down at himself and chuckled softly. Yeah, he probably didn't look much the part, given his dirty and grease-stained appearance.

"Yeah, more or less," Jim replied, rubbing his dirty hands on his trousers before offering one to the other man in greeting. "You can call me Jim."

The man looked at his offered hand, and Jim barely stopped himself from laughing when he saw him wrinkle his nose slightly in distaste. Though if that had to do with Jim's dirty appearance, or the man had some kind of aversion to shaking hands in general, or he had a problem with Jim personally, he couldn't be sure. Eventually the stranger reached out and grasped his hand firmly, showing that at least he was familiar with the Earth custom.

"That was what your doctor said as well. What does that mean, 'more or less'?" the man asked him when he released Jim's hand.

"It means, I'm in charge on this ship as long as the rest of my crew wants me to be. Guess you could say we have sort of a democracy," Jim explained. The man looked at him oddly for a moment before he gave a small nod.

"I see."

"And you are?" Jim prompted, earning him a long considering look from the other man before he answered.

"I have questions first, if you don't mind, Captain." The man said and Jim raised an eyebrow but gave a nod for him to go ahead anyway. "I was told you found my vessel adrift in space?"

"Quite by accident. A one in a billion chance, to be honest. Lucky for both of us, I think." Jim answered.

"And this ship is a...salvage vessel?" the man asked for clarification and Jim nodded.

"That's right. We definitely weren't expecting to find anyone alive on your ship, let me tell you."

"And, now that you know, what are your plans for my ship and crew?" the other man asked him, and though his words sounded casual on the surface there was a note of steel behind them. His blue eyes watched Jim like a hawk.

"Well, to be honest, we're in a bit of a bind. You see, our ship was damaged pretty severely. First by pirates, and then by a Klingon warbird. We're lucky to be alive now, but if we can't get our ship repaired we won't be for long. We've been...using whatever we can find from your ship to attempt to repair our own." Jim replied and the man's reaction was just about what he would expect, he first appeared shocked, and then somewhere between angry and alarmed as he attempted to sit up. Jim immediately reached out to grasp the man's shoulder in an attempt to keep him still. It was like trying to push against steel! Bones was right; the guy was strong as hell, even when he still looked half-dead!

"Woah! Take it easy!" Jim tried to calm the man down. "If you're worried about your people, they're fine. We moved the cryotubes to our cargo bay. They're safe."

A brief flicker of relief crossed the other man's face, and Jim felt him relax slightly, but not by much. He looked down at Jim's hand and Jim immediately removed it, standing back and away from the man again so he wouldn't feel threatened.

"I'm sorry about your ship but there was really no other way we could make repairs to our own, and trust me, yours wasn't going to last out here much longer anyway. The propulsion system was no longer functioning, and the life support systems were barely working either, putting out more toxic fumes than oxygen. Your cryotube malfunctioned during your revival. Even if you had woken up, you'd have been dead within minutes," Jim went on to explain, earning him another long calculating look from the other man. Perhaps he was trying to tell whether or not Jim was lying.

"When I awoke...I could not breathe, and then... Your people were wearing helmets...but not you," the man spoke hesitantly, maybe doubting his own memories. Jim was surprised he remembered anything at all, to be honest. He nodded in confirmation and then shrugged slightly.

"Well, you seemed unconscious at the time. I couldn't exactly ask you to hold your breath," he said with a small laugh. The man gave him a look that was difficult to decipher.

"Then...I owe you my life," he stated carefully, sounding almost reluctant to admit it. Before Jim could even consider how to respond, the man pushed back the covers and started to rise from the biobed.

"Hey! What are you doing? You shouldn't be up yet!" Jim cried as he moved to stop him, but before he could even attempt to restrain the stranger again, his wrist was caught in an iron grip. Jim now realized first-hand how Bones had gotten those bruises. The man gave him a look that was clearly a warning, before he released Jim and sat up fully, swinging his legs over to sit on the side of the biobed.

"You wish to repair your ship, I offer you my assistance," he said. "I will require some proper clothing as well."

"Look, no offence, but you've been asleep for almost three hundred years. Technology has changed quite a bit..." Jim started, but he was cut off by the haughtiest look that he'd ever received.

"I may not be familiar with your technology, Captain. But I am certainly familiar with my own. I was also something of an engineer in my time. I assure you, I will adapt. Clothing. Now," he ordered, and Jim got the feeling it would be futile to even attempt to argue. Besides, what could it hurt? It might even make repairs go faster having someone who knew about old twentieth century technology, especially since it was so different from their own.

"All right. Just take it slow, okay?"

* * *

One heated argument with the ship's doctor later, Jim left the sickbay with the stranger in tow. The man was surprisingly steady, all things considered. Jim was definitely impressed with the man's recovery, and though curiosity practically burned within him, he held onto his questions for the moment. Their brief discussion in the sickbay seemed to have forged an unsteady truce between them, and Jim was reluctant to test it just yet.

Honestly, despite the strange circumstances, this wasn't so different than any time someone new had joined Jim's little rag-tag crew. Trust wasn't something easily won. Especially not among the kind of people Jim was used to dealing with. It wasn't easy; there was usually a lot of distrust at the beginning, a lot of circling, and watching as one tried to feel the other out. But Jim liked to think he was a pretty good judge of character, and besides, the repairs to the _Ricochet_ were still his primary concern. He wasn't about to turn down any offer of help.

His curiosity about the man and his crew could wait a little while longer.

So, after a brief stop in the cargo bay to show the man that his people were indeed on board and safe, Jim took the man down to engineering. They arrived to chaos and Scotty swearing up a storm. It appeared that one of the plasma conduits had overloaded, and Jim cursed as he ran for a manual extinguisher to help put out the fire. Thankfully, they managed to put it out before the fire reached the plasma tank.

"Scotty! What the hell happened?!" Jim shouted, then coughed, waving away some of the lingering smoke.

The engineer immediately started shouting again, his accent always heavier when he was pissed off, and Jim could identify far more expletives than an actual explanation. The only thing he could really make out was 'piece of junk', ' _old_ piece of junk', and 'fuck, fuck, fuck'. Guess the _Ricochet_ and the _Botany Bay_ weren't playing very nice together after all.

"Who's that?!" Scotty finally demanded once he'd run out of steam, pointing over Jim's shoulder. Jim turned to look at their unexpected guest, who stood behind him. The man wore an expression that was a strange combination of concern, irritation, and amusement.

"Scotty, this is..."

"Khan," the stranger finally introduced himself.

"Khan Scotty, Scotty Khan. He's here to help."


	5. Chapter 5

The repairs were progressing far better than Jim had anticipated.

It had been a little slow going at first. Catching a man up on three hundred years' worth of advancement in technology in only a few hours wasn't easy, and Scotty hadn't been in a very patient mood to begin with. It had taken a bit of persuasion on Jim's part just to convince the engineer to give Khan a chance.

"I don't need help from a damned three-hundred-year-old frozen man!" the Scotsman had insisted quite loudly, and had been clearly overheard by said three-hundred-year-old frozen man. Khan's scowl of displeasure had been evidence of that.

Jim knew that Scotty didn't like anyone else messing around with 'his' equipment, even under normal circumstances. Jim was one of the few people the engineer even tolerated lending a hand from time to time, and he'd had to jump through hoops just to prove he was competent enough. And Jim was the captain! More or less...

Given the fact Khan was a complete stranger, not to mention completely unfamiliar with their technology, he had anticipated Scotty's hostility.

"Look, Scotty. He might not know anything about warp technology, but we don't know a whole hell of a lot about the technology on the _Botany Bay,_ either. He does. He's willing to help, and we don't have the luxury to refuse that kind of offer right now." When the engineer had still seemed reluctant, Jim continued, "We can all work together here and maybe make it out of this alive. Or we can die here together. Either way, we're in this mess together."

"All right, fine," The engineer finally threw his hands up in defeat. Jim turned to Khan and gave the man a thumbs up, which earned Jim a look that seemed almost impressed if he wasn't mistaken.

The engineer then proceeded to give Khan a crash course in warp core repair. It could have been a disaster. It probably should have been. Jim had stayed out of the way for the most part, working on repairing what he could, and letting Scotty do his thing. The engineer _was_ brilliant, after all, and could probably instruct Khan a lot better than Jim ever could. To Jim's complete shock, it was actually going _well_.

He couldn't deny it. Khan was...impressive. He seemed to soak up the information that Scotty was giving him like a sponge and he never needed something explained to him twice. Never. Jim could tell that Scotty was impressed as well, which was no easy feat. The pair quickly moved on from Scotty simply explaining what he was doing and Khan asking questions to Khan offering suggestions on how they could best utilize parts from the _Botany Bay_ in order to repair their own vessel. Which was, admittedly, a lot easier to do when they now had someone to explain some of the functions of the equipment they'd salvaged from the ancient vessel. When Khan actually moved on to helping Scotty with the actual repairs, and not merely observing or offering suggestions, Jim knew he'd made the right call in accepting Khan's help.

Jim found himself pausing in his own work several times just to observe Khan. He couldn't really help it; the man was fascinating. Khan was so far beyond brilliant, it was actually kind of scary. Jim himself was no slouch in the brains department, but Khan was obviously on a different level entirely. But Jim couldn't lie, it wasn't _just_ the man's brain that he found so fascinating.

Khan had tied his shoulder length black hair back in a tail to keep it out of the way as he worked, though a few strands had slipped free to fall over his eyes anyway. By now there were grease and dirt stains on his face, hands, and all over the clothes that Jim had lent him. That didn't detract from the man's attractiveness at all, however. Both he and Khan were about the same size, but the clothes that Jim had loaned the man looked even better on Khan than they did on Jim. He was certain his ass had never looked that good in those pants, at any rate, and Jim had a damned great ass. Jim's borrowed shirt stretched tight across the man's well-defined torso, showing off his physique, and riding up whenever the man stretched, revealing an enticing pale strip of flesh that made Jim's mouth water. When Khan bent over to pick up something that Keenser had dropped, Jim had to check himself to make sure he wasn't actually drooling. Though who could blame him if he was? He was only human, after all.

But Khan wasn't. Not according to Bones, even though Khan looked pretty damned human from where Jim was standing. Not that Jim was xenophobic - most of Jim's crew wasn't human. _That_ didn't matter to Jim. What _did_ matter was the fact that Khan was a complete mystery to them. They didn't even know _what_ he was much less _who_ he was. And the mystery, while fascinating, was also dangerous. Look at what had happened to Bones. The man had actually _attacked_ the doctor, and done quite a bit of damage, despite his weakened state. Even if Bones hadn't seemed too upset or concerned over it, it was still a red flag.

Yet, the fact that the man was helping them now was a big point in his favor, and could go a long way in helping Jim convince his crew not to simply sell off the cryotubes to the highest bidder. They may be a rag-tag group of pirates, but most members of Jim's crew were good people -or whatever- underneath it all. They took care of their own, and they paid their debts. It shouldn't be too hard to convince most of them that they owed Khan for helping them repair the ship. Scotty already seemed to like the man, or at least respected him, and Jim... Well, the last thing Jim should be thinking about right now was what he might look like naked. He definitely shouldn't be thinking about fucking the guy. No matter how nice that ass looked...

Of course as soon as that thought flitted through Jim's brain, Khan chose that moment to turn around and look right at him as though he could feel Jim's eyes on him. Hell, maybe he could, for all he knew. Khan certainly appeared as if he had just heard every inappropriate thought that Jim had about him right now. Or maybe it was just that obvious.

Jim sure as hell was no blushing virgin, and it wasn't like he had anything to be ashamed of. There was no harm in looking, after all. Still, it wasn't exactly 'professional,' and Khan might not appreciate the attention, not to mention they both had bigger things to worry about right now. He shouldn't be wasting his time ogling the man.

Then Khan suddenly smirked at him. Yup, the man's expression was definitely on the smug side. At least he didn't appear angry at Jim's blatant staring. But there was something else in those fascinating eyes too. Something almost inviting. Like a dare... In spite of himself, Jim felt a flush of heat rush through him so fast it almost made him dizzy. Thankfully, Khan's attention turned away from him before Jim could embarrass himself further. Still, Jim couldn't deny the entire exchange was...interesting.

* * *

 

Five hours later even Jim was ready to take a break. They'd made damned good progress on the repairs in engineering and the updates he'd received from the other areas on the ship indicated repairs were advancing elsewhere as well. Apparently most of the hull breaches had been patched by this point, and good progress had been made on the repairs to the bridge. In another day or two they might even be ready to attempt a short warp hop to the nearest inhabited planet with a spaceport. As anxious as he was to get the hell out of here, Jim knew they couldn't be impatient about this. They were only going to get one chance, after all. And what exactly were the chances they'd run across another derelict ship which they could use for repairs? At least their life support systems hadn't been too badly damaged, so they could take their time to make sure things were done right.

"Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving," Jim called to Scotty and Khan, both of whom seemed in equal measures grateful and reluctant for the break. But a few whining noises from Keenser -proving just how hungry and tired the little alien was- quickly changed Scotty's mind. The two left together for the galley while Jim stayed behind to wait for Khan.

"Trust me, there will still be plenty of things to fix in the morning. Bones is going to be pissed off enough as it is when I bring you back to sickbay like this. Are you all right?" Jim asked.

"Of course," Khan replied, appearing almost affronted at the suggestion that he might need the break, even though the man looked ready to keel over at any moment. So much for taking it easy. "And you can inform your doctor that I no longer require his services. If you wish to rest, I can remain here and continue to study the technical manuals that Mr. Scott made available..."

Jim shook his head.

"No way, I'm not getting into another argument with Bones about this. I've had to listen to him bitch enough as it is letting you out of sickbay in the first place," Jim replied with a laugh. "Come on, a meal and a good night's sleep won't kill you. You're just lucky we got the main power back on and the food replicators are working. No man's first meal in three hundred years should consist of nutrient bars."

Jim gave a shudder that wasn't the least bit forced. Those nutrient bars might keep you alive, but they were about as appetizing as eating mud. In fact, some mud even tasted better! Jim knew this from experience. His antics earned him a raised eyebrow and soft chuckle from the other man. Jim flashed him a grin and led the way.

It seemed quite a few of Jim's crew had the same idea, as the galley was actually quite full when they arrived. Jim watched Khan as the man slowly took in the room, his gaze lingering on several of Jim's non-human crew members. Khan had seemed quite fascinated by Keenser as well, actually. Which would make sense if he really was from twentieth century Earth; humans hadn't yet made contact with any species outside of their solar system. But then what did that make Khan? If he wasn't human, and he wasn't alien, what the hell was he?

Jim decided he would reserve judgement and not jump to conclusions until he knew more. As he'd told Scotty before, they were all in this mess together right now, and they were going to need each other if they wanted to make it out of this alive. He'd keep an eye on Khan, something he would have done anyway. At least the man wasn't hard on the eyes.

Jim led Khan over to the replicator and showed him how it worked. Once they'd gotten their food, they went to find a table. Some of Jim's crew watched them both as they passed. They especially watched Khan. Just from their expressions, Jim knew that Ox had been talking. Damn it. He was definitely going to have a word with that damned Orion. For now, Jim pretended nothing was wrong, and hoped Khan wouldn't notice as he went over to sit at the mostly empty-table where K'Nelin, Scotty, Keenser, Gru'tok, and Yera sat together eating their meals. All of them looked just as exhausted as Jim himself felt.

"Hey, how's it going, guys?" Jim said as he sat down, motioning for Khan to do the same.

"About as well as expected, Jim," Gru'tok answered, though the Markalian's eyes remained distrustfully on Khan as he took a seat at their table.

"This is Khan. He's been helping with repairs to the warp core," Jim explained.

"We can use all the help we can get," K'Nelin agreed, earning a grunt from Gru'tok and a nod from Yera.

"You were the one found on the ship we discovered," Yera stated, the Suliban looking at Khan curiously. Khan responded with a nod. "And you are from Jim's world? Earth?"

"Long ago, yes."

"This must all be very strange for you then. To awaken after all this time. Everything so different. Your homeworld gone," Yera went on sympathetically, and Jim nearly choked on his next bite of food. Shit! How could he have forgotten?

"Gone?" Khan parroted, his expression unreadable.

"Aye. Near four years ago now. Damned Romulans," Scotty added. "Bastards never did play fair."

"How did this happen?" Khan demanded, his voice low and hard. He looked pretty pissed off, and Jim couldn't blame him for being upset. It must be pretty shocking. Jim certainly remembered his reaction when he'd heard the news. It hadn't been pretty.

"No one really knows exactly. Just that it was a ship. A huge Romulan ship like nothing anyone had ever seen before. Destroyed Vulcan and Earth, then disappeared. No one's seen the ship since. The bulk of Starfleet's ships were also destroyed at Vulcan, so when the Klingons attacked, it was over pretty quickly. The Klingons and the Romulans have been at war ever since." Jim gave a brief explanation of recent history. Khan's expression did not change at all and Jim had no idea what the man was thinking. He couldn't imagine it was anything good.

Finally Khan pushed away his untouched meal and stood.

"Where are you going?" Jim asked, earning him a very unpleasant look from Khan.

"I wish to be alone," was all the answer Khan gave before making a beeline for the door.

That definitely could have gone better. "Shit," Jim muttered under his breath before he stood up to follow Khan.

"Want me to come with you?" Gru'tok asked, obviously not liking the way Khan had just left either.

Jim shook his head. "I can handle this. What's the worst he can do?"


	6. Chapter 6

Bones had warned him to be careful around Khan, and Jim knew better than to take that warning lightly. He wasn't stupid. The man was pretty strong, even still recovering from having been a human Popsicle for the last three hundred years. But at the same time, he wasn't even armed, and he was definitely outnumbered on the ship. At least as long as his companions remained in cryosleep. Khan was too smart to risk stirring up any kind of trouble amongst Jim's crew. So Jim was pretty confident he could handle this by himself, and hopefully with more tact than some of his crew had shown so far.  
  
As it turned out, Jim didn't need to go very far to find Khan.  
  
"I told you I wished to be alone." Khan's voice made him jump a little in spite of himself when he passed by a darkened alcove. The man was encased in the shadows, staring out the dark viewport where Jim could barely make out the outline of the _Botany Bay_ against the distant stars. Even in the darkness he could tell that the ship wasn't nearly as intact anymore as when they'd first found it. It made him a little sad, to be honest.  
  
"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I know that must have been a shock..." Jim explained, earning him a dark chuckle. He couldn't make out Khan's expression in the gloom, but he didn't need to. The man's biting tone spoke loud and clear.  
  
"A shock? This has all been a _shock_ , Captain. That...was something else entirely." Khan finally turned to look at him, and even though Jim couldn't see the expression in those eyes because of the shadows, he could feel their intensity and a shiver of trepidation rolled down his spine. It felt like being caught in the sights of a predator. "What I find curious is why you would attempt to conceal this information from me."  
  
"I wasn't trying to hide anything," Jim denied, frowning at the accusation.  
  
"Oh, did it just happen to slip your mind? Or did you not think it important enough to inform me of this?" Khan snapped back, angrily.  
  
"Honestly? No, I didn't think it was important. Not right now at least. Do you have any idea at all what kind of situation we're in? We're completely stranded in the middle of _nowhere_. We can't call for help without risking that Bird of Prey finding us. We'll be _lucky_ if we can repair the ship well enough to make a safe warp jump to the nearest port. It's probably more likely we'll blow up first. And if we can't fix the warp core, all we have to look forward to is a slow very uncomfortable death as we eventually lose power and life support, if we don't kill each other first. So forgive me if I didn't want to add any more crap to an already fucked-up situation."  
  
When Khan remained silent after Jim's little speech, he sighed and continued a little more calmly.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did. I really am. I probably should have told you. I just... If we all die out here anyway, I didn't think you needed to worry about that on top of everything else you must be going through right now." Jim hoped the other man felt the sincerity in his words and that Khan believed him. Things had been going remarkably well before all of this, and Jim didn't want it to all fall apart now. Not when they were so close to maybe getting out of this mess.  
  
There followed a long silence before, "I am not some kind of fragile china doll that requires delicate handling," Khan finally replied. Though he still sounded irritated, he didn't sound quite as angry as before, so Jim counted that as an improvement.  
  
"No, you're not. You're handling all of this remarkably well, I gotta say. I can't even imagine what it must be like," Jim agreed, earning him a noncommittal sound from Khan, who once more turned to stare out the dark viewport. They were both silent for a long time and Jim began to wonder if he shouldn't just leave and let the man be alone for a little while like he'd requested. But then surprisingly Khan spoke.  
  
"It is...difficult. So much has changed. When we left the Earth, I never thought I would see it again. But now that I know I never will have the opportunity, even if I wished it..." Khan's soft voice was sad and wistful. Jim sighed heavily and nodded.  
  
"I know what you mean. When I left Earth, I was all too happy to say good riddance to that rock. I never wanted to go back. Now that I can't..." Jim shrugged. "So, why did you leave?"  
  
Again Khan was silent for so long, Jim wasn't sure if he was going to answer or not. So it was a little surprising when he did.  
  
"There was not much left for us there anymore."  
  
"Guess we've got that in common," Jim observed, then risked stepping closer to Khan and placing a hand on his shoulder companionably. "Come on. No one should have to have this kind of discussion sober."  
  
Khan looked at him, his expression unreadable in the dark, but nodded. Jim turned and led him down the corridor that would take them to Jim's quarters. It was probably a really bad idea; he should probably be taking Khan back to the galley so they could both get something to eat before going back to the sickbay, where Khan belonged. That would have been the responsible thing to do. Instead, Jim keyed open his door and motioned for Khan to precede him inside.  
  
Oh, well. Jim had always thought being responsible was a little overrated anyway.  
  
His quarters weren't large, since the ship itself wasn't large. But at least they were private, unlike the rest of the crew's quarters. One of the perks for being the captain. Another perk, of course, was the stash of expensive liquor he kept hidden away inside for 'special' occasions. Bonding over the destruction of one's home planet probably wasn't what one would normally consider a 'special occasion' but Jim decided that Khan deserved the good stuff since the man hadn't had a drink in three hundred years.  
  
So Jim pulled out the bottle of real Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey and poured them both a healthy glass.  
  
"To surviving fucked-up situations?" Jim offered as a toast with a grin, which got him something of an eyeroll, though he saw Khan's lips twitch slightly, as though he were fighting a smile. Khan's glass clinked against Jim's, and Jim took a long slow drink, savoring the taste and the burn of the alcohol down his throat. Khan closed his eyes as he drank, draining it probably far too quickly for how rare the stuff was, but Jim didn't say anything as he refilled it for him.  
  
Several more glasses passed between them before either of them spoke again.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I could really go for a good hard fuck right about now," Jim said casually, earning him a raised eyebrow from his companion.  
  
"Is that so?" Khan asked, and Jim nodded. "You are quite...direct."  
  
"Usually the fastest way to get what I want," Jim replied.  
  
"What makes you think it is what I want?" Khan countered, and Jim glanced meaningfully around his quarters.  
  
"Um, you're here?"  
  
"For a drink."  
  
"Well, if you're not up for it..." That was as far as Jim got before Khan was on him. Thankfully, Jim's glass was empty, as it tumbled to the floor and shattered as Khan's mouth claimed his own. The man's hands were bruising on his shoulders as he all but crushed Jim's body against him. Jim's arms wound around Khan's back, his fingers digging into rock-hard muscles, and Khan's tongue forced its way past his lips. Jim couldn't help but moan as it laid claim to every inch of his mouth. The taste of whiskey, Khan himself, and a faint tinge of blood in the brutal kiss was absolutely addicting. Then, as though that wasn't dizzying enough, Jim's back hit the wall, forcing what little breath he had left out of his lungs with a grunt.  
  
'Intense' didn't even begin to cover it. It was all Jim could do just to hold on, much less respond to the other man's mouth ravishing his own. Khan was like a force of nature. Unrelenting. The kiss went on and on, leaving Jim's lips feeling raw from the fierce bites, and his legs weak-kneed as Khan's tongue practically fucked his mouth.  The other man's hands moved downwards, certainly leaving finger-shaped bruises on Jim's thighs as his hips insistently ground against Jim. The feeling of Khan's erection digging into him made Jim's own arousal surge in response.  
  
If the kiss was any indication of how Khan fucked, then they really needed to get naked. Right now.  Jim would have loved to suggest just that, but Khan wasn't letting him get much of a word in edgewise. Jim's fingers tangled into the long dark hair and he yanked hard, forcing Khan to release his mouth with a growl. Jim panted hard as he sucked in much-needed air and felt his whole body flush at the wild look in the other man's eyes. Khan looked like he wanted to devour him and right now, Jim was more than happy to let him.  
  
"Get these clothes off now before I tear them off you," Jim demanded, and he would do it too. Since they were his own clothes, he figured he had every right to rip them off the other man if he wanted to. He watched Khan's eyes dilate, barely a sliver of blue remaining. Those eyes felt like an abyss that Jim could fall into and drown if he wasn't careful. Well, no one had ever accused Jim of being careful.  
  
His fingers still tangling roughly in Khan's hair, Jim crushed their mouths together again with a moan. He pushed away from the wall, and got the feeling he only managed it because Khan had let him. Jim walked him backwards until they reached the bed, and then they both fell down on it. The bed's thin mattress was just enough to make it a not-completely uncomfortable landing. Khan still grunted when he hit the bed, Jim on top of him. Jim finally tore his mouth away from Khan's with a sharp bite and pulled back. Straddling the man's thighs he did exactly as he threatened, and all but tore the shirt from Khan's body. He definitely heard the sound of fabric ripping, not that either of them cared, as he flung the material away.  
  
"God, you're amazing..." Jim breathed as he took in Khan's well-toned chest, which his hands greedily began to explore, starting with the defined abs and slowly moving up. His thumb flicked across one of Khan's nipples and the man made an approving sound, so Jim continued to play. He rolled the sensitive nubs between his fingers and pinched them, lightly at first and then with a bit more pressure, just because he loved the low growling noise that Khan made in his throat when he did.  
  
Khan arched beneath him, grinding his erection hard against Jim's ass. Jim rocked back, rolling his hips, and the friction was both satisfying and maddening. Impatiently Jim pulled off his own shirt and flung it away. He could practically feel Khan's eyes mapping out every inch of him. The heat in those eyes was practically scorching. Yet before Jim could lean in to capture those sinful lips once more, he felt Khan's caress on his stomach, the man's eyes following the same path as his fingers along the thick scar there.  
  
Jim froze. Khan's eyes flickered up to meet his, a silent question within their depths. Jim shook his head minutely. To Jim's surprise, Khan merely nodded, as though he understood, and the matter was effectively dropped as the man wrapped his hands around Jim's back and pulled him in. Khan's mouth found his once more, and the mind-numbing kiss the man gave him did not falter even in the slightest as his hands ran up and down the length of Jim's back. Jim knew the man must have felt many more scars that were there and probably wondered what they were from. But that was a story Jim had never divulged, not even to Bones, and he certainly had no intention of doing so now.  
  
Jim finally tore his lips away from that wonderful mouth, only because he was dying to taste the rest of the man. He kissed his way down Khan's jaw to his neck, biting and sucking, tasting faint traces of grease and sweat. Khan's pulse beneath his tongue felt far too steady in Jim's opinion, so he was determined to change that. He glanced up to see Khan watching him with hooded eyes as Jim pressed a series of kisses down the length of his sternum. Khan's fingers found their way into his hair when Jim's lips closed around one of the man's nipples. His fingers continued to play with the other, his efforts earning him more of those wonderful sounds, halfway between a growl and a purr.  
  
But because Jim was impatient, he didn't linger there long. Shifting lower, he used his tongue to trace Khan's well-defined stomach muscles, then dipped briefly into his navel, as his hands went to work on opening the man's trousers. Once he'd freed the other man's cock, Jim couldn't help but stare for a few moments, undeniably impressed. The feeling of Khan's fingers tightening in his hair reminded Jim he should probably be doing something else other than simply admiring the cock in front of his face.  
  
Jim flashed a grin up at the other man before he wrapped his fingers around the thick shaft while he wrapped his lips around the head. The deep groan Khan let out as Jim went to work licking and stroking simultaneously, was one of the most erotic things he'd ever heard. Jim took his time, swirling his tongue around the crown and flicking it in the slit, licking away the pearly drops that leaked from the tip. Khan's fingers continued to comb through his hair, sometimes petting, sometimes clenching tight when Jim did something he must have particularly liked. Jim watched Khan through his eyelashes as he took the man's cock into his mouth as deeply as he could, feeling the head of it nudge at the back of his throat. He saw and felt how the man's well-defined muscles clenched taunt when Jim sucked hard enough for his cheeks to hollow, his tongue massaging the thick vein underneath, as he drew back and then went down again. Khan's lips parted and his back arched, his head lolling and he gave an almost pained moan. Jim had a feeling he'd probably lose a few strands of hair over this, and he didn't care one bit.  
  
"Jim..." When the man came, Jim's name was barely more than a whisper from Khan's lips, a contrast to the much more vocal approval he'd displayed so far. For some reason that made it even hotter. Jim greedily swallowed down the first hot rush of seed, though he choked a little on the next, a little bit dribbling from his mouth. But he still managed to swallow down most of the man's release. Jim was smiling as he pulled back, panting as he allowed Khan's cock to slip from his mouth, his hand slowly milking it of the last drops.  
  
"You look pleased with yourself," Khan observed as he looked down at Jim, his fingers still in his hair, though they were gentle now again, softly massaging Jim's sore scalp.  
  
"I think I deserve to be. You're not bad yourself for a three-hundred-year old. Ready for round two, old man?" Jim taunted with a playful smirk, which earned him a soft chuckle.  Then, in one swift move, Jim found himself on his back with Khan looming over him. Jim wasn't sure if he should feel excited or nervous by the look on Khan's face. He finally settled on surprised when he felt Khan rub against him, and he realized that the man was actually _still hard_. That was just...inhuman.  
  
When Khan started tugging off Jim's trousers with a predatory look, Jim decided he didn't care.


	7. Chapter 7

Jim groaned softly as he came awake, blinking one eye open blearily at the beeping chronometer beside his bed. He must have set it at some point the night before, not that he could remember when. He was honestly surprised that he'd had enough functioning brain cells left by the time Khan was finished with him to manage that feat. He glared at the little device, wondering what the chances were it would shut off on its own if he just gave it enough dirty looks. Several minutes later, as the volume increased enough to really aggravate Jim's already pounding head, he finally forced his body to move...as little as possible and still achieve the desired result. It took Jim several reaching, fumbling tries before he managed to shut the damned thing off.

He remained in that position for several long moments, enjoying the blissful silence. A part of him wanted to simply close his eyes and let himself sink back into oblivion for another few hours...or days...but unfortunately, there was too much to do to allow himself that luxury. Playtime was over, time to get back to work. Jim finally rolled over onto his back with a sigh as every muscle in his body protested the movement.

In hindsight, perhaps Jim's taunting about Khan's age and thus placing his stamina into question wasn't the smartest move he'd ever made...but it was definitely worth it. A slow pleased smile pulled at Jim's lips as he stretched carefully. Practically every part of him ached, some parts definitely more than others. But for the most part it was a good ache. Really good.

God, that man fucked like a demon...

Obviously Jim wasn't fully awake yet, or his brain still hadn't quite recovered from being practically liquefied by the multiple orgasms that Khan had wrung from him last night. Not that Jim was complaining, because it had been absolutely amazing. By the time Khan was sated, all Jim could do was practically pass out from exhaustion and hope his brain didn't make too much of a mess when it was done leaking out of his ears. Talk about mind blowing... But as a result it was only now that Jim realized he was much more alone in his wreck of a bed than he'd been last night. Much more alone than he wanted to be, at least. Where was Khan?

Jim's question was answered when he heard the sound of his sonic shower being shut off. Guess Khan figured out how to operate it. Another perk of being the captain was his own personal sonic shower. Though he knew he probably shouldn't condone wasting what valuable power that remained on such a luxury, frankly, Jim could use a shower right now too. He scratched at some of the dried cum on his stomach with a slightly disgusted look. He was a mess, and that was even after they'd cleaned up a little using what was left of Jim's shirt that he'd torn off the other man earlier. So, a shower was definitely in the cards this morning. He didn't need to announce to everyone on the ship what he and Khan had done, though Jim had a feeling it would probably be pretty obvious anyway, given how carefully he'd probably be walking -not to mention sitting- in the foreseeable future.

It was then that the object of his musings materialized in the doorway to Jim's bedroom, looking far too awake this damned early in the morning, and far too enticing for Jim's exhausted body. Though his cock still twitched slightly when his eyes greedily took in that well-toned body still slightly damp, a practically threadbare towel wrapped around Khan's hips that didn't leave much to the imagination (not that Jim really needed his imagination after last night), dark hair slicked back...

"You cut your hair?" Jim observed in surprise. Guess he'd found and used Jim's grooming supplies as well. He'd been busy. Just how long had the man been awake before him? Khan merely shrugged as he stepped further into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It seemed somehow appropriate. A fresh start," Khan answered looking Jim over slowly. "How are you feeling?"

"Well fucked." Jim said with a grin. Khan chuckled softly.

"It is a good look on you."

"You're not so bad yourself," Jim complimented, taking in Khan's form. Khan looked good, all right. Really good. Far better than a man frozen for nearly three centuries had any right to look. He also looked far too well-rested and awake for a man who'd fucked Jim through his mattress for the better part of the night before. Jim gave Khan a cheeky look as he added, "For a three-hundred-year old."

Khan's eyes flashed with a similar heat as they had last night at Jim's "challenge," and Jim felt his cock stir again, in spite of how exhausted and sore he felt. Apparently, Jim was a glutton for punishment, because if Khan really wanted to go another round, he sure as hell wouldn't say no. Something of that must have shown on Jim's face, because Khan chuckled again and shifted. The already precariously-placed towel fell away completely as he moved over Jim. Not touching him, but trapping, his arms holding himself up on either side of Jim's head, his knees straddling his thighs. The sheets covering Jim's lower body weren't much of a barrier at all.

"You enjoy playing with fire, don't you?" Khan asked in that low sensual purr that made Jim's heart beat double-time.

"I had no idea it was such a sensitive topic," Jim teased, licking his lips as his eyes trailed greedily down the length of Khan's body... Damn, the man was already hard. "Will you fuck me stupid every time I bring it up?"

"Perhaps." Khan brought their mouths together for a slow sensual kiss, his tongue tracing over Jim's swollen lips before dipping inside to taste him almost lazily. Jim moaned in approval, reaching up to run his hands slowly over Khan's chest, stomach, and sides, relearning every inch of soft skin stretched over hard muscle he'd explored so well the night before. He reached around to boldly squeeze that amazing ass, and was rewarded with a rumbling moan from the other man, and a sharp nip to his lower lip that made Jim hiss.

When Khan pulled away, Jim let out a sound that was almost a whimper. He was already breathing hard and his whole body flushed with pleasure. Despite the really good, really long, marathon of sex he'd had the night before -only a few hours ago really- he felt almost impatient to have the man inside of him again. Khan, by contrast, seemed to be in no hurry at all. The sheets covering Jim were pulled away, the slow slide of the material almost uncomfortable against his over-sensitive skin. Khan stared down at him, his fingers lightly tracing over the various marks he'd left him last night. The sucking bites along his collar bone, red lines scratched into his sides, and of course, the dark finger shaped bruises covering his thighs.

"Admiring your handiwork?" Jim asked cheekily, earning him a rather wicked smirk as Khan grabbed his hips none-too-gently, making Jim wince a little and surely leaving even more marks on him. Khan shifted so that he was now kneeling between Jim's legs and lifted Jim's lower body effortlessly so his thighs rested on the elder man's. Exposing Jim completely to Khan's hungry gaze.

Jim relaxed in Khan's hands, letting himself be maneuvered in any way the man wished. Khan made an approving sound as his hands caressed Jim's outer thighs, then lightly scratched up the inside. Jim's cock twitched again at the sensation, though he wasn't hard yet. Not by a long shot. He wasn't even sure he _could_ get hard again after last night.

Khan's fingers lightly brushed over Jim's swollen and tender hole, making Jim's breath hitch. He was so damned sensitive, it was almost painful. Jim swallowed hard as that finger began to gently circle his opening. Khan's other hand still lightly caressed along Jim's thigh with a gentle soothing motion. The elder man finally looked up from what he was doing to meet Jim's eyes. There was a question there, and Jim nodded slightly.

"Are you sure?" Khan asked, even as the finger began to apply a bit more pressure, pushing inside the barest amount. Already it felt like too much.

"Yes," Jim answered decisively, pushing back a little against Khan's fingers to remove any doubt that it was what he wanted. Khan didn't respond, not with words, but a single finger finally pushed slowly inside. He was still slick inside, and more-or-less relaxed from last night, but it still hurt. He felt raw and swollen from the rough pounding that Khan had given him before, and everything was extremely sensitive. Even that small stretch burned and Jim could feel every inch of the finger that buried inside of him, past the first knuckle, then second. Khan circled his finger slowly to open him up even more, then curled it just right to lightly brush against Jim's already hyper-sensitive prostate.

Jim gasped sharply, his head falling back with a low moan he wasn't sure was in pleasure or discomfort. But he didn't ask Khan to stop. Not even when that finger began to slowly thrust in and out of him, every pull and push a fight not to clench or pull away to stop the invasion, a part of him convinced it was simply too much. A much larger part of him determined to take whatever the hell Khan dished out, as if to prove a point. A small eternity seemed to pass before a second finger pushed in alongside the first, and Jim bit his lip hard enough to taste blood.

Khan paused for a fraction of a second, but when Jim still voiced no protest, he continued, even more slowly than before. Jim moaned low in his throat. He felt Khan shift above him. He hadn't even realized that he'd shut his eyes until he was surprised by the feeling of Khan's tongue flicking over his lips. Jim reached up to run his fingers through the older man's hair. It was much shorter now in the back, damp but still soft. The front was still rather long however, a few strands falling forward to brush against Jim's forehead and cheek. The soft cool touch felt rather nice against his flushed and sweaty skin.

He moaned as Khan's tongue pushed into his mouth, moving at the same leisurely pace as the fingers inside of him. Jim tasted blood on the tongue that twined with his own. When Khan pulled back, Jim opened his eyes to admire the gorgeous man hovering above him. Khan's lips were red with it, Jim's blood... And Khan's own, he realized. The man must have bitten his own lip at some point too. Jim wasn't sure why that realization made his whole body flush even hotter than before. Even the ache inside of him seemed to fade, insignificant compared to the pleasure building within him. As Khan began to rub even more insistently against his prostate, Jim's cock finally began to respond. Now it rested hard and heavy against his stomach without even having been touched.

Khan nodded as though in approval. His fingers slipped out of Jim's body. The head of Khan's cock pushed against his opening and this time, the man didn't ask if Jim was ready before he began to enter him slowly. Jim made a high whining sound in his throat. It hurt. His eyes squeezed shut in spite of himself.

"Look at me." Khan's tone brooked no argument and Jim forced his eyes back open. His chest heaved as Khan began to move again. Filling him slowly, just as careful as his fingers had been. The man's control was astounding. Slowly, the pain began to fade back into the background, the pleasure not completely overshadowing it, but that only seemed to make it even more intense.

Jim's blunt nails dug into Khan's lower back when the man adjusted his angle and his cock brushed over his prostate. When he started to withdraw, that hurt almost as much as Khan filling him. Maybe even more. All the way out till only the head remained then back inside. Slow. Easy. Deep. The exact opposite of the night before. That had been fast and rough, but now Jim could feel every single inch of that impressive length splitting him open. The pain seeming to ebb and increase with every move Khan made, pleasure blurring with pain, making both seem even more intense. Jim had a feeling that Khan could keep up this pace for hours if he wished. He almost wanted to dare the man to try. It might just kill Jim in the process, but what a way to go.

But they didn't have hours. They'd probably already wasted too much time. There was too much to do. Yet Khan still seemed in very little hurry as he fucked Jim. Jim's cock felt like it was ready to burst; his balls already drawing up tight, despite the fact that his dick hadn't even been touched through all of this.

The suddenly wicked look in Khan's eyes really should have warned him. But Jim was completely unprepared when the man suddenly slammed into him hard and fast, tearing a shout from the captain before he could stop it. Khan did it again and Jim practically howled, his back arching, every muscle in his body clenching taunt. A third time, and Jim lost it completely. He came with a near-sob, his vision blurring white for several moments, and his entire body shaking like he was having a seizure. All the while, Khan continued to move inside of him, drawing out the pleasure/pain longer than Jim thought he could endure and still remain sane.

Khan finally finished inside of him, as he had every time previously. Some of the man's cum leaked from his ass when his cock slipped free of him with a slick obscene sound. Jim was still trembling like a leaf in a storm, his heart raced, and his breath came out in short quick pants as Khan leaned in to kiss him again. Jim felt barely coherent enough to respond, yet he did, quite enthusiastically, clinging to the other man like Khan was the only thing keeping him rational.

"You are extraordinary," Jim felt more than heard Khan mumble against his lips. Jim smiled and decided maybe another quick nap wouldn't hurt, after all, it was still rather early.


	8. Chapter 8

The young man was asleep again, sprawled out on his front and snoring softly, practically dead to the world.

Propped up on one elbow, Khan stared down at the captain with a look that was surprisingly fond. His fingers lightly traced along the other man's exposed back, however Jim didn't stir in the slightest at the touch. Not even when his fingers dipped lower, following the ridges of his spine all the way down to slip under the light sheet that covered him, and gently caressing the firm buttocks.

It was a very nice ass, Khan admitted with a slight smile to himself.

Perhaps he'd been a little rough on the young man, though Jim certainly had not complained at the time. In fact, he'd taken all that Khan had given him, and demanded more. More than certainly most humans would deem comfortable with. Teasing, taunting, and practically daring Khan to wreck him. It had been quite a pleasant diversion.

Khan couldn't help but admire the young man's spirit. He was certainly brave, perhaps to a fault. Though was it bravery, or merely a lack of self-preservation that had driven the younger man to save him? Was it recklessness, or was the captain simply a blind fool to trust so easily? Maybe it was a bit of both. The captain had trusted his offer of help, not even considering that Khan might have ulterior motives. He'd invited him into his room, even his bed, when Khan could easily have taken advantage of the situation once he had the younger man alone in such a vulnerable position... But, no. Foolish though the captain might be, Khan owed him his life, and that was not a debt that he took lightly.

Khan's fingers trailed upwards, following along one of the scars that littered the younger man's back. This particular one curled from Jim's left buttock up along his lower back in a thick jagged line. It had probably been extremely painful. And it was only one of many, crisscrossing the strong youthful back. Khan did not need to guess what had caused the scars; he recognized marks of torture when he saw them. He could probably even guess at some of the implements that had been used.

There was a shadow in those bright blue eyes of the captain, a deep pain, exposed for but a moment, before quickly being hidden away again. Khan could not deny he was curious under what circumstances the young man had received the marks on his flesh. He couldn't help but wonder if the man's mind had been as scarred as his body. Outwardly, Jim smiled, his attitude almost carefree, even in such a dire situation as their current one. Yet Khan wondered if there was something broken inside. If it was all merely a mask. If the other man's actions to save Khan's life had been driven by something much darker.

"Do you wish to die, Captain?" Khan muttered softly, his musings completely unheard by the sleeping man beside him. It was probably for the best that he didn't hear; Khan doubted Kirk would answer him truthfully regardless. If nothing else, however, the question intrigued him. Perhaps one day Khan would find out.

Despite the intriguing mystery that his young lover presented, there were far more pressing matters that concerned him. There was much that Khan needed to learn about this strange new time in which he had awoken, and not much time in which to do that.

The young captain had given sleepy instructions to wake him in an hour, but Khan would be very impressed if Jim actually managed to wake after the 'work out' Khan had given him. He would probably sleep for several hours at the very least. Khan leaned in to press a soft lingering kiss to the back of Jim's neck, taking his time to enjoy the warmth and scent of the other man. Jim gave a pleased murmur in his sleep and Khan smiled against his skin, giving a slightly regretful sigh before pulling away and slipping out of the bed.

Khan easily found clothing that fit him from the captain's closet, a simple tight-fitting black shirt and dark trousers, and dressed himself. Jim did not-so-much as stir as he left the room.

He had already learned much about this time, thanks in no small part to the instruction of the ship's engineer, Montgomery Scott. Technology had clearly advanced a great deal since his own time. Whilst assisting in the repairs, Khan had occasionally felt a little out of his depth, but with the help of the proffered technical manuals, as well as Scott's willingness to answer Khan's questions, he had been quickly brought up to speed. Of course, there was still a great deal more he needed, and indeed wanted, to know.

Khan did not mourn the loss of his old ship. The technology was vastly inferior to even this vessel, damaged and barely functional as it was. His 'offer' to sacrifice his own ship and any knowledge he had to help repair this one was only logical. The _Ricochet_ was the best chance he and his crew had to at last escape the vast emptiness of space. He would undoubtedly need the captain and his crew to pilot the vessel for now. Despite how rigorously Khan studied the specs and processes, there was still too much he needed to know before he could effectively fly and navigate such a ship. For now, it was in his best interests to gain favor with the captain, and the cooperation of the man's crew. Once they were no longer necessary, however...

That was something that would need to be considered at a later time. Perhaps the captain himself would prove to be trustworthy, but the same could not be said for the man's crew. Khan was not blind to their mistrustful looks, not to mention others that were less easy to define, but still boded ill. Either way, it was not a chance Khan was willing to take; he would have to find a way to revive his own crew. That would certainly give him an advantage.

This ship, despite that its design was obviously suited for far more than a mere 'salvage' vessel, was ultimately unsuitable for Khan's needs. He would need to find a way to acquire another.

And then...

Khan's hands clenched into fists at his side, the only outward sign of his anger, as he walked down the ship's darkened corridor. He'd told the captain the truth earlier. When he'd learned of the destruction of Earth, it was far more than simple shock he felt. Gone. The planet of his birth. A world he had nearly ruled. Lost forever. How was anyone supposed to feel upon learning this?

Anger. No, rage. Not merely towards the species that had destroyed his world, but towards humans themselves. It was an old anger which had not dissipated in the least during the centuries of sleep. They had offered the world order. They had offered peace. Instead, they had been considered criminals. Condemned to die. Forced to flee.

A part of Khan felt that the humans deserved their fate. Technology might have improved vastly since Khan's time, but it was obvious that man himself had not. They were still weak. Pathetic. Running scared. If his people had been alive in this time, they would not have simply let the Earth be destroyed. Even if its destruction had been inevitable, they would have fought back. They would have sought retribution!

This would be his goal now. Long ago they had left the Earth behind to seek out a new world, a chance to build an empire. They may have left the Earth behind, yet she was still the only home they had ever known. Khan would not let such an attack go unpunished.

He would need to find new allies. Resources. He would need to learn more about the dominant powers within the galaxy in this time: the Romulans, the Klingons, other aliens. Who would be most willing to join him? Who would need to be forced into submission or eliminated altogether? It would take careful planning, perhaps years. His efforts might not even be fruitful within his lifetime. But he would not fail, not this time. He would have vengeance and more.

Three hundred years ago he had nearly conquered a world. Now, he would conquer a galaxy.

But that would come later. For now the goal was survival, for himself and his people. Knowledge was power, and in that he was woefully disadvantaged at the moment. Access to the computer terminal in the sleeping captain's quarters had provided further knowledge, but there was still much more he needed to learn. Khan was certain if he could log onto the main computers on the bridge, he would find more useful information. The Scotsman had indicated that the systems on the bridge had been badly damaged. Now would be the perfect time to offer his assistance to help repair them and allow him access to the computers, while not under the watchful eye of the captain.

* * *

 

Jim came awake with a start due to the sudden loud pounding on his door. He sat up quickly, feeling a little less groggy than before, but no less sore. A quick glance at his chronometer had his eyes widening with a curse. Scotty was going to kill him!

Fuck! He'd told Khan to wake him up! Where the hell was he? The other man wasn't in the room, and this time Jim couldn't hear the sonic shower either. Khan was gone.

Another loud knock on his door had Jim scrambling to untangle himself from his mess of covers and stand with a wince. Fuck, he hurt.

"Keep your pants on!" he shouted at his door, snorting at the irony as he pulled on his own trousers. He quickly went to open the door. He found K'Nelin on the other side. The Catian immediately wrinkled her nose upon seeing him.

"You smell like a cheap whore," she observed. His appearance and odor no doubt implied very clearly what he'd been up to last night. So much for keeping his and Khan's activities a secret from the rest of his crew.

Jim sighed softly in resignation.

"I feel like one," he replied, running his hand through the tangled mess of his hair. "Sorry. Tell Scotty I'll be down in a minute..."

"Scotty didn't send me to get you. McCoy did. He wants to see you in the sickbay."

Jim inwardly groaned. That was going to be even worse. The doctor was probably already pissed off that he'd never brought Khan back to the sickbay like he'd promised. And one look at Jim, and... The captain sighed again. No sense in drawing this out.

"Fine. I'll be there in a minute. Just let me get cleaned up." K'Nelin nodded. "Where's Khan?" Jim finally thought to ask.

"On the bridge, helping with repairs," The Catian informed him. Her expression turned unexpectedly concerned as she looked him over again. "Are you all right, Jim?"

"Of course. You know me," he replied with his usual charming grin, earning him an eye roll from the Catian.

"I do know. That's why I asked," she said, giving him one final look before turning away. Jim shut his door and leaned back against it with another sigh. Did he really look that bad? He must have, if she was concerned, but he was fine. A little - okay, more than a little - sore, but not so much that he couldn't function. A few painkillers and an extra-strong mug of coffee and he'd be good as new. His clothes would cover most of the worst of the bruises... Maybe Bones wouldn't even notice?

Ha!

With another resigned sigh, Jim headed for the bathroom to take a shower, doing his best not to limp too much on the way.

* * *

 

One shower, one dose of painkillers, and one very strong coffee later, and Jim felt monumentally better. He entered the sickbay with a grin and greeted Bones cheerfully.

"Hey, Doc. What's up?"

Bones turned to face him and looked him up and down.

"You look like shit."

"Good morning to you too," Jim answered, rolling his eyes impressively, earning him a scowl from the doctor. "So, what's the big emergency? If it's just to chew me out, can it wait? I'm busy..."

Bones didn't answer him in words. He merely stepped aside, giving Jim a better view of the biobed. And Jim couldn't help the genuine smile that formed when he saw Spock sitting up awake.

"Spock! Hey, you're looking a lot better. How are you feeling?" Jim asked, giving the old Vulcan a warm smile as he approached the biobed.

"All things considered, reasonably well, Captain," Spock answered. "However I have a request."

"That's good. What is it?" Jim said, making shooing motions at Bones when he heard the doctor come up behind him with the tricorder.

"Dr. McCoy has made it clear that he will not discharge me from the medbay, despite the fact that I have assured him I am capable of functioning at near full physical capacity and my assistance would greatly hasten repairs..."

"You just woke up from nearly having half your face burned off! Not a god damned paper cut!" The doctor's loud protest at least distracted McCoy for a moment from trying to covertly use the tricorder on Jim.

"...Yet despite my reassurances, the doctor has insisted that I remain here. Therefore, Captain, I request that you give me leave to return to my duties aboard the ship." Spock continued as if Bones had never spoken.

Jim bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing aloud at the look in the doctor's face. Now the reason why Bones had called him here made sense. No doubt the doctor and the Vulcan had been arguing about this for quite some time and Bones was nearing the end of his rope. Thankfully, McCoy was too good a doctor to simply punch his irritating patients. Well, except for when it came to Jim.

"Spock, until Dr. McCoy says otherwise, I think it's best if you stay here. The repairs are actually coming along quite well, and we've got some unexpected help, so it's not necessary that you risk your health..."

Jim had to resist laughing again at the minute shift in the Vulcan's expression. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Spock was actually pouting. No doubt that had something to do with the smug look on McCoy's face. However, the Vulcan quickly schooled his features again to give Jim a look that was mildly curious instead.

"Unexpected help, Captain?"

"Yeah, you would have loved it. We found a derelict ship floating out here in the middle of nowhere, an old DY-100 class sleeper ship. It was amazing. Still functional after all this time. You won't believe what we found..." Jim's voice trailed off as he watched the old Vulcan's face grow unnaturally pale. Even Bones looked concerned all of a sudden, glancing between Spock's vitals and the unmistakably horrified look on the Vulcan's face.

"Spock? What's wrong? Are you all right?" Jim asked worriedly. The old man looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Captain... Did you encounter a man named Khan aboard the ship?" Spock asked him softly and Jim couldn't have hidden his surprise if he'd tried.

"How did you know that?"

If possible Spock grew even paler. It was really starting to scare Jim.

"We have...met...before. A long time ago.

That made even McCoy pause. He looked up from his instruments. "You have?"

Jim could see that wasn't the end of it; Spock's face was a mask of worry. "And..." he prompted.

At length, the Vulcan elaborated. "He is brilliant, ruthless, and will not hesitate to kill every one of us in order to achieve his goals. We are all in terrible danger, Captain."


	9. Chapter 9

"Wait. Stop. That doesn't make a lick of sense!" McCoy nearly shouted, "How the hell could you possibly have known him before? He's been in cryostasis for nearly three hundred years! I know you're practically a fossil yourself, but you're not THAT old!"

While Jim's hangover certainly didn't appreciate the doctor's volume, he was thinking the exact same thing. Spock wasn't making any sense.

"Calm down, Bones." Jim ordered the doctor before turning back to the old Vulcan. "Maybe you want to start from the beginning, Spock?"

"I am sorry, Captain. I should have told you long before now, but so much has...changed since my arrival. I did not wish to risk altering your destiny any more than it already had been," Spock began, looking almost grieved when he stared at Jim. It wasn't the first time Spock had looked at him so; in fact, the old Vulcan had given him a similar look when they'd first met. To this day Jim had never understood why.

"The old coot's good senile, that's the problem," Bones grumbled and Jim rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you go torture one of your other patients for a minute," Jim countered, and though the older man glared at him, he remained silent when Spock started to speak again.

"When you first found me on Delta Vega you asked me how I'd come to be marooned there." Spock paused and Jim nodded for him to continue, "My ship was captured by a Romulan named Nero. It was his revenge against me for failing to save his planet, Romulus. He spared my life only so I would know his pain. As he was helpless to save his planet, I would be helpless to save mine."

Jim blinked in confusion. Maybe Bones was right. Maybe Spock was losing it.

"But Romulas isn't destroyed..." Jim stated cautiously.

"No. Not in this time. Not yet." Spock agreed. "However one hundred and twenty-five years from now a star will explode and destroy Romulus. I had promised the Romulans I would save their planet. Using red matter I was able to create a black hole to consume the exploding star but I was too late to prevent the destruction of Romulus. Nero held me responsible. When he attacked my ship we were both pulled through the black hole. Nero's ship went through first, therefore he arrived first. January 4th, 2233, I arrived in this time twenty-five years later."

"Are you trying to tell us you're from the fucking future?!" Bones finally erupted, apparently unable to remain silent any longer.

"A future that no longer has the possibility of existing, yes," Spock confirmed, never taking his sorrowful eyes off of Jim. "Our coming back changed...everything."

"January 4th, 2233... That's the day I was born. The day..." Jim's voice trailed off and Spock nodded.

"The day the USS _Kelvin_ was destroyed by a Romulan Ship. The _Narada_. The same ship that would later go on to destroy Vulcan and Earth." The old Vulcan confirmed looking down at his weathered hands folded on the bedspread.

"Jesus fucking Christ..." Jim muttered, running his hands over his face. He wasn't nearly drunk enough to be having this conversation right now.

"What the hell does any of this have to do with Khan?" Bones demanded, getting them back on track. Though Jim really wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more.

"As I said, many things have...changed. In my timeline, you were both officers in Starfleet, as was I. Jim was captain of the _Enterprise_. You were its chief medical officer. For a time, there was peace in the galaxy and the _Enterprises'_ mission was to explore uncharted regions of space. It was during this mission we came upon the SS _Botany Bay_ , and Khan Noonien Singh. Though we were hospitable to him and his crew, he betrayed us, tried to take command of the _Enterprise_. Tried to kill you..." Spock was staring at Jim intently now, but Jim had a feeling that the old Vulcan wasn't really seeing him. At least, not the man he was now, but this...other Jim Kirk he was talking about. A man who didn't exist, would never exist...

"Though you spared his life, many years later he sought you out again for vengeance. He was, is, the greatest adversary that you would ever face, and only through great sacrifice defeat. You cannot trust him, Captain. He will betray and kill you at the first opportunity..." Jim finally had to hold up a hand to silence the Vulcan.

"All right, I... Just give me a minute to think, okay, Spock?" Jim pleaded and waited for Spock to give a slight nod before he motioned to McCoy to follow him. They didn't go far, just into the isolation area where Khan had been kept while he had recovered. Hopefully out of earshot of Spock.

"What do you think?" Jim asked the doctor once they were alone.

"I already told you what I think; he's completely lost his marbles! I told you we should have left that crazy Vulcan where we found him. You a Starfleet captain?" Bones scoffed, and Jim didn't know whether he should be offended or not, even if he agreed with the doctor. Jim had definitely never been Starfleet material. The idea was ludicrous, and yet...

"I know you two don't like each other." Another thing Jim had never really understood, but Bones and Spock had gotten on each other's nerves from day one. Though oddly enough, in the beginning, the old Vulcan had seemed almost comforted by this. "But he's always had a level head. I've never seen him like this before, so...emotional. Keep him here, keep him calm, hell, sedate him if you have to, and I'll go talk to Khan."

At the mention of the man's name, Bones only scowled at Jim harder.

"And what if, just for argument's sake, Spock isn't crazy? What if he's right about Khan? What if he's dangerous?" Well, they already knew that Khan was dangerous. The question was really _how_ dangerous.

"He hasn't tried to hurt anyone, well except you, but some days I want to choke you too. In fact, he's been downright helpful," Jim countered with a small shrug, and Bones snorted in disgust.

"Just because you fucked him doesn't mean he won't try to kill you," the doctor snapped and Jim frowned.

"Are you really saying I should hold him accountable to things he may or may not have done in some kind of alternate future?" Jim asked. When it was put like that, it sounded beyond crazy.

"Of course not. But we don't know a damn thing about him. Or what he's done in the past," Bones argued.

"Oh, and you're some kind of saint now? We've all got blood on our hands, some more than others." Jim refuted, and that got the reaction he'd been expecting. McCoy's good eye practically flashed and the next thing Jim knew he had a bloody lip and an aching jaw. Bones had one hell of a right hook.

"You little shit!" The doctor practically growled, grabbing Jim and punching him in the stomach next. The air left Jim's lungs in a whoosh leaving him gasping and lightheaded. When Bones punched him in the face again the younger man stumbled and fell back onto the biobed. He was still trying to regain his breath when Bones grabbed the front of his shirt. Tears and blood from his undoubtedly broken nose made it difficult to see as well as breathe, but he didn't try to defend himself as he watched the doctor pull back his fist again.

Jim waited for the blow, but it never came. Instead of punching him, Bones dragged Jim up by his shirt and kissed him hard. He hissed when the doctor's teeth caught on his already bruised and bloodied lip, but that didn't stop Bones from pushing his tongue inside Jim's mouth. The taste of blood grew stronger as the older man's tongue caressed his own and it reminded Jim of this morning with Khan, when the other man had shared his blood with Jim, and he couldn't help but moan wantonly.

"You're such a fucking whore." Bones gasped against his mouth, the doctor barely allowing Jim a breath before kissing him again deeply. Jim only moaned again in response and wrapped his arms around the doctor's strong shoulders, pulling McCoy down on top of him on the biobed.

Hell, maybe that's all he was, but Jim didn't really give a damn at the moment. It wasn't often he and McCoy did this. The first time they'd both been so damned drunk it hadn't been all that good for either of them. There had only been a few times after that, usually when Bones was either three sheets to the wind, or pissed off at him. Jim liked it better when the doctor was pissed off. It meant he was less careful and less guilty afterwards. A win/win in Jim's opinion.

The doctor's talented hands had already worked underneath Jim's shirt, roaming freely over his chest and pinching his nipples making Jim shudder and whine. Bones pulled back with an almost exasperated sound.

"Shut the hell up, unless you want Spock to hear us," the doctor demanded, glaring down at him. Jim returned the look with a cheeky grin, and immediately worked at unfastening the doctor's trousers. In no time he had them open and pulled out the older man's already hard cock. He started jacking Bones off, just how the man liked it – slow and tight. He watched, pleased, as the doctor's eyes fluttered and he bit his lip to stifle a groan of pleasure. A bead of moisture gathered at the tip and Jim wasted no time turning on his side and leaning closer to lick it away.

"Jesus Christ, kid..." Bones muttered as Jim opened his mouth and started sucking on the head of his cock. The doctor worked open Jim's trousers and wrapped his large hand around his dick. There was a definite note of surprise in the older man's eyes when he found that Jim wasn't even all that hard yet. But the way Jim moaned around his cock and sucked him even deeper into his mouth effectively stopped the doctor from asking any questions.

He started to thrust into Bones' hand and though it took a little effort, he finally started to get hard. The older man reached lower to play with Jim's balls for a while, which Jim loved, and then moved even further back. Warm fingers slid between his cheeks, rubbing over Jim's already thoroughly-abused hole and making Jim yelp softly. His whole body jerked. He hadn't even realized he'd still be quite sore down there. Bones' eyes went wide.

"What the fuck did he do to you?" the doctor asked, sounding almost alarmed. Jim chuckled softly around the dick in his mouth and pulled back. His lips, now swollen for an entirely different reason, turned up in a grin as he continued to stroke the spit-slick shaft with his hand.

"Nothing I didn't want him to," Jim reassured, swiping his thumb over the tip of the doctor's cock, smearing another drop of precum down the throbbing length.

Bones rolled his eyes and made an exasperated sound and Jim wasn't expecting the older man to suddenly bat his hand away and step back. Jim frowned and started to sit up, only to have the older man shove him back down onto the bed.

"Stay there, you moron," the doctor ordered and walked to the other side of the small room. Bones was still very hard and hadn't done up his trousers yet so Jim hoped that meant he wasn't planning on calling an end to their activities just yet. The doctor came back shortly with a small jar in his hand. "Drop your pants and turn over onto your stomach."

Jim frowned but did as he was told, pushing down then kicking off his trousers and turning. "This better be the sexy kind of prostate exam, Doctor, not the boring kind."

Bones snorted and smacked Jim's ass, hard. Jim yelped.

"Shut up. You're lucky I'm in such a good mood," the doctor said. Jim looked over his shoulder to watch the man open the jar.

"Blowjobs will do that," Jim observed, earning his already sore ass another sharp spank.

"What did I say?" Bones warned, and he didn't wait for Jim to reply before he scooped out some of the contents of the jar and started rubbing the cool substance between Jim's cheeks. Jim jumped a little, more from surprise at the cold than discomfort. Thankfully, whatever it was warmed quickly and he realized it actually felt really good, soothing on his raw sensitive flesh. Jim dropped his head onto his folded arms and sighed softly. Bones rubbed around his sore opening for a while before he slowly began to push inside with one finger. Jim began to tense in spite of himself and moaned softly at the intense burning feeling.

"Easy, just relax," the doctor said, almost kindly, adding more cream and pushing the finger deeper into him. "He really did a number on you, didn't he?"

Jim gave a small shrug in reply. Whatever Bones was using worked quickly, and the discomfort was fading fast. He started to relax as the finger began working in and out of his ass easier and moaned low in his throat.

"That's it." The doctor's voice had gone lower, huskier with arousal. A second finger joined the first and Jim didn't even feel any pain, just heat and pleasure as the older man's fingers curled inside of him to play with his prostate. Jim's breathing quickened. He was definitely hard now, his cock pressed uncomfortably against the biobed underneath him. Jim bit his bloodied lip and started to rock back on those fingers. He heard Bones chuckle softly and push a third finger into him.

"Christ... Bones... Please..." Jim begged, looking back over his shoulder at the doctor. Bones pulled out his fingers and coated his cock with the same substance, grabbed Jim's hips, fingers pressing into already tender bruises that Khan had left on him only last night, and Jim moaned as the doctor pulled his hips to the edge of the bed.

Jim bit his lip hard and held his breath when Bones entered him. The stretch and burn made his vision go white for a moment before it began to ease, much quicker than Jim would have expected. Bones fucked him slowly at first, but gradually quickened his pace when Jim stopped tensing in discomfort. He ran his hands over Jim's back, hips, and thighs. Jim only belatedly realized there was even more of the cream on the doctor's hands when various aches along his body began to ease. Some places he hadn't even realized he'd been hurt until the pain began to dull.

It was very...relaxing. An odd contrast to the intense arousal building inside of him, his cock leaking where it rubbed against the bedsheets underneath him with every thrust of the doctor's cock into his body. When Bones finally reached underneath him, his slick fingers running up and down the length of Jim's cock in time with his thrusts, Jim knew it was over for him. He came with a long low moan deep in his throat, his cum spilling over the elder man's fingers and soaking into the sheets underneath him.

Bones continued to fuck him, the slapping sounds of his hips against his ass obscene while Jim simply lay there, feeling far too relaxed to move, even to help the doctor along. Finally the doctor pulled out of him with a groan, and Jim felt the hot splash of the other man's seed across his bare back. Jim remained unmoving while Bones finished, exhaustion from last night creeping in again now that he was so relaxed. He could probably easily fall asleep right here like this if he allowed himself to.

Jim heard Bones snort softly and the doctor patted his ass almost affectionately before moving away. Jim sighed and started to push himself up even though he really didn't want to move, only to have the doctor push him back down onto the biobed with a sharp shove between his shoulders.

"Did I say you could move yet?" Sensing the question was rhetorical, Jim simply did as he was told and stayed where he was. He felt a soft cloth running over his bare skin, cleaning up the mess first from his back and between his cheeks, and then underneath him, but apparently Bones wasn't done. He heard the sound of the tricorder for a few moments, and then what was most likely a soft tissue regenerator. After a few more minutes of Jim simply lying there passively during the doctor's treatment, Bones chuckled.

"Maybe I should just fuck you before every exam I give you," he said and Jim chuckled in reply.

"I wouldn't complain," Jim replied cheekily, and Bones smacked him on the ass again. Jim noticed he didn't use the tissue regenerator to heal those particular stinging spots. Or the injuries from the punches Bones had delivered. Bastard. Finally the doctor put away his 'toys' and tossed Jim's trousers at his head.

"All right, get dressed and get the hell out of here. Make sure that bastard isn't planning on blowing up our ship or something," McCoy ordered and Jim finally, almost regretfully, pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the biobed. He actually felt a hell of a lot better now, not that he'd ever admit that to the doctor.

"Right. See if you can get some more information out of Spock about Khan, who he is, was, whatever," Jim ordered in return and Bones nodded.

"Tell me you at least have a plan?" the doctor asked when Jim had pulled up and fastened his pants.

"I do. I'm going to talk to Khan and ask him who he really is, and what he wants. Honesty is the best policy, right?" Jim said brightly earning him an eyeroll from the doctor.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. But if you get yourself killed, don't think I'm going to shed a tear over you," Bones grumbled. Jim laughed in reply.

"You love me," he teased, blowing a kiss over his shoulder as he strode out of the infirmary. Jim pretended not to see the troubled look in his friend's one good eye.


	10. Chapter 10

Jim took a detour from the infirmary back to his room to clean himself up since he probably looked like a wreck at this point. Felt like one too. Thankfully on his way out of the Medbay Spock hadn't stopped him, in fact, the old Vulcan hadn't even looked surprised by his appearance. Just...pensive. Jim wondered briefly if Spock had overheard McCoy and him after all, but then decided it didn't matter; he had bigger things to worry about right now than whether or not the old Vulcan had gotten an earful.

Jim wasn't sure what the hell to think about what Spock had told them. A part of him hoped that Bones was right, that Spock just had a few screws knocked loose from his accident. He'd always known that the old Vulcan was more than a little odd, but he'd never imagined... Spock had always been a good crew member aboard the _Ricochet_. Intelligent. Cool headed. Logical. They weren't all that close, but he'd never doubted Spock's loyalty.

But what if that loyalty was only based upon some kind of...delusion? What if being forced to watch the destruction of his home planet had broken something inside Spock? So much so that the old man had imagined a whole different timeline, where things had turned out 'better', or at least different, just so that he could keep going?

Even if that was the case, and Spock was just talking crazy, why would he fixate on Khan? Why would he say that they'd met before? That they all were in danger? It didn't make sense, even if Spock wasn't entirely in his right mind. Perhaps he'd overheard some of Jim's crew talking about finding the _Botany Bay_ and Khan while he was still unconscious, and he'd had a strange dream that he thought was real. Probably the simplest explanation, but...

Khan Noonien Singh. That's what Spock had called him. Jim was pretty sure Khan had never mentioned his full name, but for some reason it still sounded familiar.

Frowning to himself, Jim rummaged around his bed until he uncovered his datapad. It was woefully out of date but suited his purposes most of the time. He typed in the search and waited for the results to come back. The datapad beeped almost immediately and Jim laughed softly under his breath.

No results found for Khan Noonien Singh. Was he even surprised?

Maybe Jim had gotten more than a few screws knocked loose himself, that he was even considering Spock's rambling was anything other than crazy talk. James T. Kirk, Starfleet Captain of the _Enterprise?_ As nice a ring as that had, Jim knew himself and he had no delusions about who or what he was. Genius? Maybe. Criminal? Definitely. Whore? Sometimes. Hero? No. Jim was a lot of things, but he was no hero.

He tossed the datapad carelessly to rejoin the rest of the clutter lying on his floor. He would probably head to the bridge anyway to check on the repairs in progress. It wouldn't hurt to talk to Khan, since he'd promised McCoy he would. Whoever Khan used to be, for now they were allies. Or at least, in this mess together. None of them had clean hands, and so far the man had been nothing but helpful. Jim would keep an eye on Khan though, make sure he wasn't up to anything, but really, how dangerous could a man from three hundred years ago be?

* * *

 

The bridge was looking much better than the last time he'd seen it, Jim noted, when he arrived. Several of his crew members were working diligently on repairs, and that made Jim feel little bad for 'slacking off' this whole time.

Gru'tok briefly glanced in his direction and grunted a greeting from where he held one of the heavy support struts in place while Yera re-welded it, hanging upside down from the ceiling like an Earth gecko. Jim gave the pair a small wave then spotted Khan. The dark-haired man knelt down beside one of the main computer terminals, sorting out some wires that had been pulled from the access hatch. Jim took a selfish moment to admire the view: the way the sweaty fringe fell into the other man's pale eyes focused intently on his task, the pull of the dark material over his muscled thighs as he knelt down...

Khan abruptly looked towards him as though having felt the weight of his stare. Jim grinned, allowing his appreciation to show, but the older man didn't return the smile. Khan's gaze swept over him quickly, and Jim could not begin to read the expression on Khan's face. The man stood with an enviable grace and approached, but Jim didn't get a chance to do more than open his mouth before the other man grabbed his bicep and all but dragged Jim back off the bridge. If anyone noticed the manhandling they said nothing.

"What the hell are you –?" Jim barely got out before Khan stopped, whirled around, and all but shoved him into a wall. Jim's breath left him with a small grunt and he looked at Khan bewildered.

"What happened to you?" Khan demanded, his eyes once more raking over Jim's entire body. Oh, well he supposed he couldn't blame the man if he was concerned, since the last time Khan had seen him, Jim hadn't been sporting a broken nose. A fitting reminder from Bones to watch his mouth in the future.

"It's nothing." Jim attempted to laugh it off, only to have Khan's eyes narrowed at him.

"You smell like sex," the older man said, the tone near-accusing in a way that didn't sit too well with Jim.

"That's none of your damned business," Jim replied with a frown, then winced when the hand still clutching his arm tightened.

"Did someone...?" Khan all but growled with a very dangerous edge and Jim's eyes widened in shock when he finally understood what the other man was inferring.

"What the fuck? Of course not," Jim was quick to reply, if only because he was a bit afraid of the look in the older man's eyes right now. What would Khan do if he'd said otherwise?

"You _let_ someone touch you?!" Khan snarled, and Jim winced as the fingers dug even deeper into his arm. Jim was starting to edge beyond confused to alarmed, but his body was reacting in a different way to Khan's tone. Even though he'd just been thoroughly fucked by Bones, his cock began to stir, and as close as they were standing, he was sure that Khan felt it. Khan's nostrils flared as though...

_You smell like sex._

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jim hissed and tried to pull out of Khan's unforgiving grip, but he couldn't even budge an inch. "Let me go!"

To his surprise, Khan did. Jim barely resisted the urge to rub his sore arm. Even though Khan was no longer restraining him, Jim felt trapped. With his back against the wall and Khan in front of him, he had nowhere to go. Staring into the eyes of a...predator. That's what it felt like. But Jim wasn't sure if he was prey, or something else. His mind told him one thing, his body...

"What the fuck was that?" Jim demanded. Khan blinked, as though coming back to himself, and his expression shifted from almost feral to neutral so fast it was jarring. He took a step back, putting a few inches between them at least, and Jim wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

"I thought..." Khan shook his head slightly and frowned. "Obviously I was mistaken. If you will excuse me, Captain."

Then he left Jim standing there, not giving him a chance to respond. Jim wasn't sure what he would have said even if he had.

* * *

 

Foolish. He'd let his anger get the better of him. It should not have happened. It probably wouldn't have if he'd not been taken so completely by surprise by the young human's appearance. The bruises on Kirk's face and the smell of blood, though faint, was shocking enough. But when Khan's sharp sense of smell caught the scent of sex, of another man on Kirk...his mind immediately leapt to the wrong conclusion. He assumed that the young man had been assaulted, and his reaction had been...a bit extreme.

He had always felt such crimes distasteful in the extreme. He had felt concern. But more than that, he had been enraged. That someone would dare...touch what was his.

He should not have felt possessive at all. Certainly the young man had given him no reason to believe that the time they'd spent together the night before meant anything more than a pleasant diversion. Khan knew better than to entertain such notions. Especially when he had no idea if he could trust Kirk. The man might have saved his life, but if the young human ever found out what he really was...

Pride. That's all it was. Wounded pride. Not even hours after he'd left the younger man sated in his bed, Kirk had spread his legs for another man. Khan's hands clenched at his side. He was above such trivial matters, and he certainly had far more important things to concern himself with.

The ship's main computer database had been the wealth of information that Khan had hoped it would be. It would prove extremely useful in his plans. Khan's lips curled in a small smile as he recalled the historical archives he had uncovered that had mentioned him. The information was almost completely wrong, but Khan had taken the time to erase it all the same, just in case anyone discovered who he and his people were. It was doubtful, the aliens did not seem very knowledgeable about Earth history, and the few human members of Kirk's crew had not put it together.

Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. The Eugenics Wars were a memory only days old for Khan, yet for everyone else nearly three hundred years had passed. Humans had always had a short memory, as evidenced by the same mistakes they'd made over and over again since they'd come into being. Nothing Khan had seen so far had given him any reason to believe that humanity had changed in the last three hundred years. What was left of humanity, that is.

Kirk had lied to him. Oh, he'd had suspicions that this ship was not designed as a 'salvage vessel' but the data he'd uncovered in the ship's computer confirmed it. In all honesty, Khan had been surprised. He would not have suspected Kirk to have the stomach for piracy. Assuming Kirk had no problem preying on weaker vessels and killing those who did not surrender, it was curious that the captain had risked his own life to save his. It would have been much more convenient to let Khan die. What had driven Kirk to save him then? A sentimental feeling of kinship as they were both from the same destroyed world? Or did Kirk have another plan for him and his crew?

It did not matter. It only meant that Khan would have to hasten his plans. He could not afford to wait to revive his crew. They would take command of this vessel while they still had an advantage. He could not count on the captain's favor to protect him and his people, especially considering the young human was not as infatuated with him as he'd originally thought. Some of the other humans and aliens amongst Kirk's crew might still prove valuable, but gaining their cooperation might take time that Khan didn't have.

When he neared the storage bay where his crew was being kept in stasis, Khan's sharp ears picked up the sound of voices already within the room. Khan frowned and slowed, his steps utterly silent as he approached the entryway. The ship's computer had an impressive database of alien languages, and Khan had memorized all he could in the time he'd had. He made out two words in particular.

Cargo and profit.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a revised version of chapter 11, not a new chapter. Main plot points are basically the same, so you probably don't have to re-read if you don't want to.

Jim stood in the empty corridor, staring at the spot where Khan had been, still trying to wrap his mind around the strange encounter.

He knew he should go after Khan. No matter how crazy Jim might think Spock's claims to be, he'd promised McCoy that he would talk to the man. But Jim wondered if it wouldn't be better to wait and let him cool off for a while. Khan was obviously pissed off with him for some reason, and Jim wasn't sure he understood why. He felt like he was missing something. Had Khan really been concerned? Jealous? That seemed a bit extreme, they'd only fucked once, and Jim sure as hell hadn't made any promises (he hadn't been nearly that drunk). But...he didn't know how else to describe Khan's attitude.

Maybe it was just a case of culture shock? Khan had barely been awake for two days and things must have been different three hundred years ago. Even though Jim was pretty damned sure that casual sex wasn't a foreign concept in the twentieth century, he had no idea what Khan's background might be. Some cultures had been a lot more conservative at that time, hell, even homosexual sex had been considered taboo by many, from what Jim could remember. He should count himself lucky that Khan wasn't _that_ conservative, and hadn't reacted to Jim's bold offer with a punch instead of enthusiasm.

All things considered, Khan had been adjusting remarkably well, but there were bound to be a few hiccups getting the man acquainted with the twenty-third century. Especially when it came to social interactions. But more confusing than Khan's actions, was Jim's response to them. He might not mind a bit of rough handling in bed from time to time, but he generally didn't appreciate it in other situations. Yet he _had_ reacted. Surprisingly favorably.

Was he actually getting off on Khan's possessiveness?

Jim shook his head and scowled. It was time to start thinking with his upstairs brain rather than his cock, no matter how good in bed Khan was. At the very least, Jim should be keeping an eye on the man until he was certain that Khan was not a threat. He couldn't just let the man wander around his ship unsupervised. Khan was dangerous. Perhaps not the threat that Spock thought he was, but... Maybe he should have Khan confined, just to be safe, until they were out of this mess. The man was unpredictable, at the very least, though that could be said for most of Jim's crew. Jim included.

Was he overreacting?

The man had nearly strangled Bones, even though one could almost argue self-defense in that case. Maybe it had been an accident. Khan had probably been confused, even frightened, waking the way he had.

And while Khan had practically assaulted _him_ , it wasn't like he had done much damage to Jim. Just a few bruises. Hell, Bones had done more harm, breaking his god damned nose, and he wasn't thinking of locking the doctor up. But the difference was that Jim had known Bones for a long time. Trusted him.

He didn't know Khan. Probably shouldn't trust him. But the simple fact was, they still needed his help. Khan's knowledge about the Botany Bay had proved vital and no doubt would be needed to continue repairs. If they wanted even the slightest chance to make it back to civilization alive, they needed to work together. No matter how difficult it might be.

Jim sighed heavily and finally pushed away from the wall where Khan had left him. All right. He'd find Khan. Talk to him. Explain a few things. They could probably manage to get through a discussion like rational adults. He'd bring up Khan's past, hopefully it would ease McCoy's and Spock's mind, then they could get back to doing what was important. Fixing the damned ship so they wouldn't all die out here in the middle of fucking nowhere.

Unfortunately finding the man was proving easier said than done. He knew Khan hadn't gone back to the bridge, that wasn't the direction he'd been heading. A quick stop in engineering proved that he hadn't gone there either. He could be almost anywhere; there were plenty of places where repairs still needed to be done, but Jim didn't take Khan for a man who would go off into a dark corner and sulk. There was really only one other place he could think of where Khan might have gone.

Jim picked up the pace as he headed for the cargo hold in which they'd stored Khan's crew. He thought about what he was going to say. How was he going to bring up Khan's past and Spock's...concerns?

By the time he reached his destination Jim still had no idea what he was going to say to Khan. Turns out it didn't matter. The smell hit him like a slap to the face the second the doors to the cargo hold slid open. Jim froze on the threshold, his whole body suddenly felt cold and numb. The shock only lasted for a moment however before bile began to rise up in his throat. He choked down the feeling as best he could and grabbed frantically for his communicator. At the same time, he dropped to his knees beside the first body, almost slipping in his haste in the vast amount of blood pooling on the deck.

"Bones! I need you in the cargo hold right now!" Jim shouted into his communicator as he checked for signs of life in the broken bodies before him.

* * *

 

Three dead.

Jim stood silent in the infirmary, watching as Bones frantically worked to try to save the life of Tarn. The Andorian had been beaten within an inch of his life. He might still die. Jim's hands were still covered in Tarn's blue blood from when he'd desperately tried to keep the man from bleeding to death while he waited for the doctor.

He was the only one who was left alive. The only one who knew what had happened.

The sensor cluster above the biobed began to emit a shrill alarm as the Andorian's heart began to fail. Jim's hands clenched.

"Come on, you son of a bitch! Don't give up on me now!" The doctor swore as he tried to get Tarn's heart started again. The Andorian's body jerked from the electrical pulses, but the alarm continued. It felt like hours, though it could only have been minutes. Bones finally reached over and shut off the alarm, his shoulders hunched in defeat.

Four dead... And Khan was missing. It didn't take a genius to do the math.

Bones slowly lifted his head to look at Jim. It was the first time the doctor had met his eyes since he'd responded to Jim's frantic comm from the cargo hold. The look Bones gave him hit Jim like a punch to the gut.

Bones blamed him for this. And rightly so. Jim had saved Khan's life, and brought him on board. He'd trusted Khan, giving him practically unrestricted access to his ship, even his bed. Spock has warned him that Khan was dangerous, and Jim had ignored him. He had been stupid, and now four good men were dead because of him. This _was_ his fault. He was the captain. He was responsible for everyone aboard his ship, and he had failed them.

Jim turned abruptly, but before he reached the door, his arm was grabbed by the furious doctor.

"Where the hell are you going?!" Bones growled at him, and Jim wondered if he wanted to keep him here just so he could beat the shit out of Jim again. Jim sure as hell wouldn't blame the man.

"I'm going to find Khan. Seal off the vital areas of the ship. I want everyone to search, deck by deck. Phasers on stun, I want him alive." Jim ordered and tried to pull his arm away from the other man but Bones didn't release him.

"What are you going to do with him when you find him?" The doctor demanded.

"I'm going to make him pay for this," Jim answered simply, and Bones gave him a long hard look before finally releasing him with a nod.

"Good."

Again, Jim went to leave the infirmary but this time it was Spock's voice that stopped him. "Be careful, Jim. Don't underestimate him."

Jim gave the old Vulcan a quick nod of understanding and left to join the search already underway. They worked in pairs, checking section by section starting from the cargo hold and fanning out. K'Nelin joined him searching in the aft parts of the ship. That was where Jim would go if he were trying to hide. It was practically a maze of maintenance access-ways large enough for a man to hide in; tight, and cramped, with plenty of choke points to ambush the careless or unexpected passerby. Thanks to Jim granting Khan access to all the technical manuals of the ship, Khan would know this as well.

"It doesn't make sense," the Catian whispered, standing watch while Jim checked around the corner of the next section they were about to search.

"What?" Jim asked, motioning for her to follow him.

"Everything. He's outnumbered. Trapped here, just like the rest of us. Why risk it?" she asked curiously.

In truth, Jim had been asking himself the same questions since he'd first come across the gruesome sight in the cargo hold. It didn't make any sense, but why did it have to make sense? Sure, a part of him wanted to believe there was an explanation for all of this... But what could possibly excuse Khan for killing four of his crew members, with what looked like his bare hands?!

"I don't know. Maybe he just snapped. You can ask him when we find him," Jim replied. They continued on in silence for a long time. Suddenly the Catian stopped him with a light touch on his arm and pointed to a section of the wall. Even in the darkened hallway Jim could make out the dark smear of dried blood against the bulkhead.

Was it Khan's or another unfortunate member of his crew?

Abruptly, the lights in the corridors cut out, plunging the whole area into near- darkness. Not even the emergency lights had come on. Jim grabbed his communicator.

"Scotty! Did we lose power?!" If they didn't even have emergency power, then that meant the life support...

 _"Negative Jim. But it seems like power is being rerouted-"_ The communication was abruptly cut off in a burst of static.

"Scotty. Scotty!" Nothing. "Fuck."

"Could he have cut the power?" K'Nelin asked and Jim shrugged before he realized she probably couldn't see him.

"I don't know, but we're going to need light if we'll have any chance of finding him in this." Jim sighed and looked back the way they'd come. He could just make out the glow of light down the corridor from where they'd come. It still had power. "The way back should be clear. Get the emergency lights, and bring them back."

She hesitated a moment but then he heard her sigh.

"All right. Stay here and don't do anything stupid," she instructed and he heard her light retreating tread. Truth be told, Jim was a little worried about her going off on her own. It would be safer to stick together, but if they both left, then all their searching thus far would have been in vain. At least they knew they were probably on the right track. Jim wished he could contact the others who were searching and tell them to concentrate their efforts in this part of the ship, but with his communicator not working...

A distant sound down the darkened corridor made Jim turn abruptly but of course he couldn't see anything. He could barely see a few feet in front of him and further away it was even darker. It could be Khan. It could be another one of his shipmates engaged in the search...or even wounded. Or it could be nothing, just some sort of vermin that had managed to stow away on the ship the last time they'd made port.

Jim started walking slowly towards the noise, his hand tight around his phaser and his finger on the trigger, though he kept the weapon pointed low. He didn't want to accidentally shoot one of his own crew.

"Is there anyone down here?" he called, only to be met with utter silence. Jim felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he knew for certain that he wasn't alone. "Khan?"

Silence. Even the air around him seemed far too still. Jim placed his free hand on the wall so he would not walk into anything in the dark and continued on. He took small comfort by the fact that if he could barely see, anyone else would be nearly as blind as he was. The odds at least would be even.

Jim froze as his hand came into contact with something wet and sticky on the wall. He brought his fingers to his face and a strong metallic smell filled his nose. More blood. Fresh.

He was here.

The thought had barely formed in Jim's mind before he was slammed into from behind and he hit the wall with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Though dazed, he struck out blindly behind him and felt his elbow connect hard with his attacker. Heard a grunt of pain behind him. He twisted out of the strong grip and brought his phaser up. However the weapon was knocked out of his hand and he was slammed against the wall again. But this time it wasn't just the impact that made Jim cry out in agony.

Pain like liquid fire burned through his chest as a vibroblade slid between his ribs, a sensation he was unfortunately very familiar with, and hoped he'd never feel again. The blade punctured his lung and Jim screamed as it was twisted inside of him. The hot metallic taste of blood began to fill his mouth. Weakness quickly overcame him as his legs buckled and his attacker finally released him. He fell gracelessly to the deck.

Jim gasped like a fish out of water, choking on every breath he took. He fumbled with numb fingers at the blade still lodged in his chest. Blood coated his hand as he tried to pull it free. The blade scraped against bone and Jim choked on his next cry of pain. He couldn't get it out. Even if he could, it probably wouldn't matter. He was losing too much blood.

He was going to die.

Suddenly there was a sharp tug, and Jim screamed again as the knife in his chest was abruptly ripped free. A strong hand pressed against the gushing wound. Probably trying to stop the flow of blood but Jim knew it wouldn't be enough.

His heart was already slowing down.

He couldn't breathe.

At least the pain was finally beginning to fade.  It would be over soon.


	12. Chapter 12

Jim's eyes slowly fluttered open and he immediately closed them with a groan as the too-bright light in the room nearly blinded him.

"He is waking up," he heard someone say from somewhere beside him. Spock? There was the sound of movement on the other side of him. Footsteps drawing nearer. Then another voice.

"Jim? Come on, kid. Open your eyes." That was definitely McCoy's voice and he sounded worried. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard Bones sound so worried before, and that more than anything else, convinced Jim to attempt opening his eyes again despite the discomfort.

It took a few tries, his eyelids felt like they'd been glued shut with valve sealant. When he finally did manage to force them open, his eyes didn't seem to want to focus at first. It all seemed almost too much effort to bother with, but the doctor was pretty insistent. Finally, Jim managed to focus on his friend's face and his ears hadn't been deceiving him. Bones looked like a wreck, and having seen the former doctor during some of his worst post-drinking days, that was really saying something. He was in the infirmary. Spock was there as well, though Jim thought he probably should still be in bed himself and not hovering over him.

"Why do you look like someone died?" Jim asked, his voice shockingly weak even to his own ears. In response, Bones scowled at him.

"You did, you idiot. Your heart had already stopped when we found you, and..." The doctor's furious words broke, betraying his emotions, and that alone told Jim exactly how close it had been. He'd nearly died. It was slowly coming back to him. He remembered feeling the blade sliding into his chest. He remembered choking on his own blood as he desperately tried to draw breath into his collapsed lung. His body quickly weakening as his blood drained out of him. He'd been sure he was going to die.

"Looks like you were right," Jim said with a pained chuckle, earning him another scowl from Bones.

"About what?"

"He did try to kill me." 'He' of course meaning Khan. Bones definitely did not look pleased. In fact, the doctor probably would have punched him again if Jim wasn't already lying in a biobed. He'd take any advantage he could get. "Guess I'm not that good of a lay after all."

Bones made an exasperated sound, but at least some of tense lines around his eyes and mouth relaxed. "Idiot," he directed Jim's way. "He'll be fine," he said to Spock.

"I am relieved to hear it, Doctor." Spock spoke for the first time and Jim managed to give him a pained smile he hoped didn't look too much like a grimace.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you," Jim told the old Vulcan, who nodded.

"I am pleased it did not cost you your life, my friend."

"You? Pleased?" Jim teased the Vulcan, earning him a surprisingly warm look from Spock.

"I was simply attempting to use your vernacular to convey an idea."

Jim chuckled weakly then coughed, a small sound of pain escaping him. That hurt like hell. He heard footsteps moving away and then back towards his bed. When he opened his eyes again Bones was there with a small cup of water and straw. He brought it to Jim's mouth and he sipped gratefully on the cool liquid. He gave the doctor a weak smile of thanks when he was finished.

"Where is he? Khan?" Had they caught him yet? Was he dead? Was he still running around his ship somewhere, killing his crew?

"They caught the bastard when K'Nelin came back for you. Dorn and Eyrk are dead, Jim. The crew wanted to shove the bastard out of an airlock, but I told them to wait for you. I know you'd want to deal with him yourself," Bones explained. Jim felt a tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with his wounds upon hearing that yet two more of his crew had been killed, bringing the total dead now up to six. Damn right, Jim was ready to dish out some good old fashioned payback personally for that.

"How did they die?" he asked, even though a part of him didn't really want to know.

"He broke their necks," Bones told him bluntly and Jim winced a little. Four men beaten to death and two broken necks. Guess Jim had gotten off 'lightly' with only a knife to his chest. With that thought in mind, Jim tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by an irritated doctor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I want to see him," he answered plainly.

"That may not be wise," Spock protested.

"Damn it, Jim! You should have died! It can wait –" the doctor began to argue but Jim cut him off.

"I don't want to wait. I want that bastard off my ship now, and I want to look him in the eyes before I shoot him between them," Jim demanded. Bones gave him an irritated look but he knew that the doctor would want to see Khan dead just as much as Jim did. Spock did not meet his eyes.

"Fine. You better not make me regret this," McCoy finally agreed.

* * *

 

Jim was almost regretting his decision by the time he made his way to the room (more like a storage closet) they were keeping Khan. The trip had taken its toll: his chest felt like it was on fire and he was breathing heavily, but all in all he could be feeling a lot worse right now. The last time he'd been stabbed in the back (literally), he'd been bed-ridden for nearly a week before he could even get up to piss on his own. While Bones informed him that he'd been unconscious for a little over twenty-four hours, his wound was healing remarkably well. The fact that he could stand unaided at all right now was proof enough of that, even if he felt like hell afterwards.

"It's a good thing you're just too damned stubborn to die," Bones had remarked while checking Jim over to make sure he could make the short trip without reopening his wounds. Jim had to agree. He'd been damned lucky.

Loquel and Xun were standing guard outside of Khan's temporary prison and looked quite surprised to see Jim, not to mention Bones and Spock trailing after him. The old Vulcan had insisted on accompanying him, and unfortunately Jim couldn't protest too much since he wasn't really supposed to be leaving the infirmary either.

"Open it up," Jim ordered, and Xun immediately moved to obey. Then he turned to Bones and Spock. "Wait here, I want to talk to him alone." Neither man looked pleased, but they did as they were asked.

Jim stepped inside the tight space and scowled down at the man who'd been quite securely shackled in the room's only chair. Khan looked as bad as Jim felt. His hair was dirty and disheveled, looking like it was caked with dried blood. His entire body appeared coated with it, but Jim had no way of knowing if it was Khan's or from the men Khan had killed. His clothes were torn and Jim could see cuts and bruises over most of the man's exposed skin. Some of his crew had probably worked him over, and Jim couldn't blame them. He wanted to beat the shit out of him as well, in fact. Jim felt no pity towards the man who'd viciously killed six of Jim's crew, and nearly him as well.

Khan slowly lifted his head to look at Jim.

"You are alive then." Khan's low voice was far too smug, and Jim's fingers curled into a fist. Before he even realized what he was doing, his knuckles were bloody. Khan's face had snapped to the side from the force of his blow, but otherwise didn't seem any more worse for wear.

"No thanks to you. I'm only here to tell you what's going to happen next. You're going to be thrown into an airlock that will be depressurized slowly. You'll have two choices once you start to run out of air. You can hold your breath and the loss of pressure will cause the gas in your lungs will expand, causing them to eventually explode. That's the most painful, but over relatively quickly. Or you can exhale and die a little slower. Your body will swell to about twice its normal size. Your eyes will freeze. Nitrogen bubbles will start to build up in your bloodstream causing severe pain. You'll have seizures, and probably stroke. If you're still alive at that point, you'll get to know how it feels to have your blood literally start to boil inside your veins." Jim spoke without emotion. It was certainly not the way he would have ever wanted to go, and any normal person would be terrified at the prospect. He wanted Khan terrified. He wanted to wipe that smug look off the bastard's face. He wanted to hear him beg for his life.

Khan had the gall to chuckle at him.

"No thanks to me. Interesting choice of words," the man muttered, ignoring everything else that Jim had said.

Jim frowned in confusion.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"It seems as though I've misjudged you, Captain," Khan continued as though Jim hadn't spoken at all. Before Jim could ask again what he was talking about, the door swung open behind Jim. Ox and two more of Jim's crew stood there. They had hate in their eyes as they glared at Khan.

"I said I wanted to talk to him alone!"

"We're taking this piece of shit to the airlock. The crew is tired of waiting. I wouldn't get in the way, unless of you want a mutiny, _Captain_ ," Ox practically gloated. Daring Jim to contradict him. A part of him wanted to argue, just for that alone. Unfortunately Jim had a feeling the Orion wasn't exaggerating. Too many of their own had died. If Jim denied his crew 'justice' then they'd mutiny on him. There was no doubt that Khan was guilty. There was no excuse to spare him.

Jim gave a stiff nod.

"Fine, get him out of here," Jim said, stepping out of the way so they could unshackle Khan from the chair and drag the man to his feet. Khan stumbled, nearly falling into Jim in the tight space. He felt the man's breath against his ear for a moment before Khan was dragged off him and out the door. Jim frowned after him in confusion.

The words had been spoken so softly he could have simply imagined them. Jim stepped into the hall and watched Ox and the others leading Khan away. The man looked back at him once as they rounded the corner, and Jim knew he hadn't imagined them.

"He said something to you," Bones observed, and Jim nodded, still frowning.

Confused, Jim answered, "He said 'my debt is paid'." Bones shook his head obviously confounded as well.

"What debt? Crazy bastard," McCoy declared with irritation. "It would have been better if you'd just left him to die."

A part of Jim agreed, but he still frowned. He'd saved Khan's life on the _Botany Bay_. Even Khan had admitted that when Jim had talked him later. " _Then_ , _I owe you my life_ ," he'd said. He'd sounded like he'd meant it too. Now Khan was saying his debt was paid? After he'd just tried to kill Jim? It didn't make any sense.

It had also sounded like a warning.

Jim pressed his hand against his chest, feeling the thick bandages underneath, and winced. He'd nearly died. He _should_ have died. He'd been bleeding out so fast, choking on his own blood. He hadn't even had the strength to pull the blade free himself. Someone else… He remembered feeling the vibroblade ripped free and a strong hand pressed against his chest. 

"You said you found him with me," Jim almost whispered. "What was he doing?"

"Why?"

Jim gave the doctor an exasperated look. "Just answer the question, Bones."

"The psycho was feeding you his blood," the doctor admitted with a disgusted look.

Jim definitely hadn't been expecting that answer.

"He what?! Why?"

"How the hell should I know? What does it matter? He'll be dead soon enough," McCoy said dismissively.

"That is not logical," Spock muttered, almost too soft for Jim to hear, looking nearly as shocked as Jim felt. That alone was worrisome.

"What is it, Spock?" Jim asked.

"Khan Noonien Singh is not human. He was created as part of the Eugenics program on Earth, a selective genetics and breeding system meant to better the human race. He is superior in almost every way to the average human. Doctor McCoy - the one from my time - noted that Khan possessed remarkable physical and regenerative abilities."

Jim shared a look with Bones. The doctor had told him the same thing when he'd first gone to speak to Khan when he'd awakened.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jim asked.

"Further tests indicated that these regenerative abilities could be passed on, for a short time, through direct blood infusion." Jim's eyes went wide. "I do not believe Khan was trying to kill you, Captain. I believe he was trying to save you."


	13. Chapter 13

"Why the hell would Khan try to kill Jim and then try to save him?" Bones protested immediately, and Jim couldn't help but agree. He didn't want to doubt Spock's analysis again so soon after the last time, given the disastrous results. But it just didn't make any sense.

"I agree; such actions seem illogical and counterproductive. Therefore the only conclusion is that Khan did not attempt to kill Jim in the first place," Spock concluded.

"Spock, I don't think…" Jim started, but the old Vulcan interrupted him.

"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. It gives me no satisfaction to defend the actions of Khan. Be that as it may, I cannot deny the facts. Whatever else Khan Noonien Singh may be, he is no fool. Attacking and killing our crew members without provocation gains him no tactical advantage at this time, as he would be incapable of repairing, or even piloting, our vessel himself," Spock stated logically.

"You think he was provoked?" Jim asked.

"Possibly. Furthermore, I cannot think of another reason why he would remain at your side, risking capture, once you were incapacitated." The Vulcan went on and a cold knot began to form in Jim's stomach. Spock's conclusions were making a disturbing amount of sense.

"Well, if Khan didn't try to kill Jim, then who did?!" McCoy interjected.

"That is the question, Doctor. Logically, the one who'd have the most to gain from the captain's death," Spock suggested, and suddenly it all clicked into place.

"Ox," Jim said decisively, "He wants to sell off Khan's crew to the Syndicate. The hold where we stored the cryotubes, that's where the first four were found dead. If Khan thought his people were being threatened..."

"Shit," McCoy breathed.

It was the perfect cover. Ox knew Jim's crew would never mutiny against him without cause. They would all want revenge against Khan for killing their crewmates. As Ox had already pointed out, he couldn't risk defending Khan without his crew mutinying against him. And if Jim was killed, well, that just worked in the Orion's favor as well. They'd all assume that Khan had killed him too.

"We have to stop this," Jim decided, and started in the direction of the airlock, only to have Bones grab his arm to stop him.

"Are you crazy? They want his _blood_ , Jim! They're not going to care _why_ he did what he did, and there's no proof Ox is behind any of this," Damn the man for sounding so reasonable. The doctor was right, they had no proof at all. Even if Khan hadn't tried to kill Jim, he'd still murdered their other crewmates. The rest of the crew might not care about his motives, even if Khan had been provoked. They weren't exactly in the most 'innocent until proven guilty' mindset.

But the only other option was letting Khan die… He couldn't let that happen.

"I have to try," Jim replied decisively, pulling his arm out of the doctor's grasp, "Get down to engineering. Tell Scotty to cut the power to the airlock." Just in case he was too late…

"You're not going alone," Bones continued to protest, wasting precious seconds.

Spock placed a comforting hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"I will accompany the captain, Doctor," The old Vulcan attempted to reassure the other man. McCoy shook his head and made a sound of frustration.

"Neither one of you are in any condition-" Bones began, but Jim cut him off quickly.

"There's no time, Bones! Get to engineering, and hurry!" He ripped his arm free. To Spock he said, "Let's go!"

He and Spock started to run. Bones was right. Neither he nor the old Vulcan were in any condition for this. The pain in his chest was nearly overwhelming, and he stumbled more than once, needing Spock to steady him before they could continue on. But Jim didn't let that stop him. He couldn't let this happen. If Khan really was…well, maybe _innocent_ wasn't the right word. But if he'd been forced into this situation, Jim couldn't just let the man die. If Ox was behind all of this, Jim was going to shove that fucking traitor out of the ship himself!

When they arrived at the airlock, Jim saw that most of his crew was gathered to watch the execution. Khan wasn't inside yet. Jim felt a flash of relief, but that sure as hell didn't mean Khan was safe.

"Stop!" Jim shouted, earning him surprised, confused, and some angry stares from his fellow crew members. Ox stood in front of the door to the airlock and did not appear at all surprised by Jim's appearance or demand. In fact he looked downright smug.

"Is there a problem, _Captain_?" the big Orion asked, sarcasm practically dripping from his words.

"You heard me, Ox. This isn't going to happen. Let him go. That's an order!" Jim started to push past his nearest crew members only to be held back.

"Jim, don't-" one of them hissed, but the warning was too late.

"Hear that? Didn't I say this would happen? He doesn't care about us or our dead crewmates. All humans are the same. He only cares about his own kind," Ox goaded, but to Jim's surprise some of his crew were nodding in agreement, looking at Jim in anger.

"That's not true and you damn well know it," Jim protested.

"No? Weren't you the one who refused to consider selling our cargo to the Syndicate despite the immense profit it would bring all of us? More than enough to cover our loses from this mess you've gotten us into." Ox countered.

"I told you before, we're not slavers, damn it! None of this would have happened if -" He couldn't believe it; Ox wasn't even trying to deny his plans to enslave Khan's crew. Worse yet, there were many who apparently agreed with the Orion's attitude. If Khan had gotten wind of the Orion's plans for his crew…

"What are we then, Kirk? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm here for the profit. Not charity work," Ox mocked, "You want to prove you're still the captain of this ship?"

"I don't have to prove anything to you."

"I think your crew might feel otherwise, _Captain_ ," Ox spit out his title like a curse. "Bring him over here."

"Captain!" Spock's voice was almost drowned out by the eruption of shouts all around them, some in protest as he was dragged none-too-gently towards the airlock, but far more in agreement with the Orion. No matter how this played out, it was going to tear their crew apart. Khan watched all of this with a calculating expression.

"Well, Kirk. Now's your chance to prove yourself." Ox gloated as he pointed towards the airlock controls. "Kill him and prove you're still one of us. Unless you care more about him than the rest of us."

"I'm not going to kill a man for crimes he didn't commit!" Jim shouted over the noise.

"What the hell, Jim? He tried to kill you too," K'Nelin said nearby, looking confused.

"Someone definitely tried to kill me, but it wasn't Khan," Jim countered, looking at Ox. Up close he noticed the dark bruise on the right side of the Orion's face. Probably from where Jim's elbow had connected when Ox had stabbed him.  Spock was right.  Khan hadn't tried to kill him.  The Orion appeared unfazed by the accusation, but some others at least were beginning to look doubtful.

"He's not worth it, just kill him," Gru'tok all but pleaded, but Jim stood firm.

"We're better than this!" Jim insisted.

"I told you he'd never do it. He's not one of us. He never was," Ox declared, motioning to two of his men standing nearby. "You can join _him_ then."

With that declaration Jim was grabbed yet again. There were louder protests this time but that didn't stop Ox's men from tossing both Khan and him into the airlock. The door immediately slid closed after them, abruptly cutting off the noise inside the ship, leaving them in a deafening silence.

Jim hoped that McCoy would get to engineering really soon…

"That was a very foolish thing to do, Captain," Khan remarked far too calmly in Jim's opinion, considering they were both about to die a very gruesome and painful death.

"This is all your fault!" Jim snapped, glaring at Khan who raised an eyebrow at him.

"Mine? If you mean your crew turning on you, it would have happened sooner or later. You have far too much of a conscience for your…line of work," Khan remarked, earning a scowl from Jim.

"You don't know anything about me," Jim snapped.

"Twice now you've risked your own life to save mine despite great danger to yourself. I also know _you_ had no plans to sell my people into slavery," Khan replied, his words loaded with meaning. Jim swallowed hard.

"And I know you didn't try to kill me." Jim wished his own words sounded as confident, but they were more of a question. Khan gave the barest of nods and Jim heaved a frustrated sigh. Even if he believed Khan, what did it matter now when they were both about to die? What the hell was taking Scotty so damned long? "Where does that leave us then?"

"In a unique position," Khan answered cryptically. "One I did not plan for."

"What the hell does that mean?"

In answer, Khan stepped towards him and wrapped his arms around Jim's waist. Jim allowed it because, damn it, if he was going to die horribly then he wasn't going to turn down the last good thing he might feel. The warning klaxon began to sound, indicating that the depressurization process was about to begin. Khan leaned in to whisper against his ear.

"Exhale and close your eyes," he ordered firmly.

"What-"

"Now!"

Jim did as he was told, exhaling all the air in his lungs and squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Hopefully he would suffocate soon before he felt too much pain. Khan held him tightly against his chest and Jim was grateful for the comfort as well as the warmth of the other man's body against his own, knowing that it wouldn't last long.

Jim heard a loud pop and his whole body suddenly lurched violently. The first thing he became aware of was cold beyond anything he'd ever experienced. The part of his mind not drowning in utter terror knew exactly what had happened. He just couldn't believe it. The outer airlock door had been opened somehow. That shouldn't have happened. Not while there was still pressure inside of the airlock. They were now shooting through the void of space uncontrollably! Without spacesuits!

Dying in a depressurized airlock was terrifying enough, but this…

Jim clung to Khan, because what else could he do? He'd never been so frightened in his entire life. He'd wanted to die quickly, but not like this.

All of a sudden everything came to an abrupt stop as they slammed against something hard and unforgiving. While Khan's body absorbed most of the impact, it still jarred Jim painfully. They rolled together…a floor… How…? Another violent impact made Jim cry out in pain. This time he blacked out entirely.

* * *

 

Jim came awake with a rather pathetic whimper. If he'd thought getting stabbed in the chest was bad, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. His joints ached like nothing he'd ever experienced before. His skin felt like he'd received the worst sunburn of his life, and it itched terribly. His stomach wanted to crawl up through his throat, and he had to swallow several times to keep down the bile. His head hurt. His chest hurt. His ears were ringing and he was having trouble breathing. He could taste blood in his mouth…

He was dying. That was the only explanation. He was dying…

There was a soft snort of amusement close by.

"You're not dying. You're suffering from decompression sickness. My blood will help. Give it time," Khan reassured him.

"Khan?" Jim rasped and coughed painfully, his throat felt like he'd been swallowing glass. "Decompression… What happened? Where are we?"

"Where do you think? Open your eyes."

He really didn't want to. Jim was afraid they might explode in his skull if he dared to open them. But when Khan didn't answer his question, Jim sighed in frustration and slowly eased one eye open and then the other. The light was low enough that it actually didn't bother him any more than when they'd been closed. He had a difficult time focusing at first, but then slowly Khan's shape took form. The man was crouched on the floor beside him, watching Jim intently.

Khan looked even worse than the last time Jim had seen him. His skin was bright red and blotchy. The capillaries in his eyes had burst and it looked like he was weeping blood. There was also blood running from his ears as well. Jim had a feeling he must look no better himself.

Decompression sickness, Khan had said. That meant... A cold horror began to fill Jim's chest.

"We were… The airlock…"

Khan nodded.

Jim almost bolted upright, panic filling him with adrenaline, but Khan must have anticipated that because the man immediately pushed Jim back to the floor. Space. They'd been shot into fucking space! They should be dead…but somehow they were both still alive. How? Finally Jim looked past Khan at their surroundings and Jim's jaw dropped open in shock.

"We're on the _Botany Bay_ …" Jim whispered. Khan's smile was far too smug in Jim's opinion. "How?"

"Your ship's airlock was still pointed towards mine for the salvage efforts. Once it was opened, we were propelled straight towards it," Khan answered.

"How the hell did you get us inside?!"

"Very quickly," Khan stated, as though such a feat was in no way phenomenal. Jim could only stare at the man in stupid awe and disbelief. But then a sudden thought occurred to Jim.

"The air here, it's poisonous!"

Khan nodded and stood. "Which is why we should not linger. I had not planned on bringing you here-"

"You _planned_ this?!"

"You will succumb before I do, even with my blood. Therefore we should make haste," Khan continued as though Jim had never spoken. He held out his hand to Jim to help him up. At first Jim wasn't sure he'd even be able to move much less stand, but then realized he was actually feeling a little better. Jim licked his lips, still able to taste blood on them. Then Khan's words sunk in.

"You gave me your blood…to heal me. You did it before too, when I was stabbed." Khan said nothing but the look the man gave him was impatient.

Jim reached up and took Khan's hand.


	14. Chapter 14

Jim followed Khan as quickly as he was able through the _Botany Bay_. His crew had really done a number on the old ship, not much seemed to be left intact from their salvaging efforts. It was probably a miracle that even some of the ship was still pressurized. Thankfully they hadn't needed to cannibalize any of the life support systems on the _Botany Bay_. Unfortunately the toxic fumes were going to kill them in short order if they didn't get off this ship, or at least find a couple of working oxygen masks.

"How are we going to get back to the _Ricochet_?" Jim asked, his voice hoarse. His throat felt raw and his lungs were tight. Khan was right, he wasn't going to last very long here. Khan at least still appeared unfazed... or he was hiding any discomfort really well.

"We're not going back to the _Ricochet_. Conserve your strength." Khan said sharply, not even looking in Jim's direction as he continued on purposefully.

"What? We can't stay here. Even if the air doesn't kill us, this ship will never fly." Jim was confused, and the lightheadedness from the poisonous air certainly wasn't helping matters.

"It doesn't need to fly," Khan answered. Before Jim could ask any further questions, the ship lurched beneath their feet, almost sending him sprawling onto the floor. Khan caught and steadied him, pulling him along at a quicker pace.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Your answer."

It didn't make any sense, but Jim found he was having a hard enough time concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, much less continuing their conversation. Especially when Khan wasn't really telling him anything.

They finally reached their apparent destination...what was left of the _Botany Bay's_ engineering section. The place looked like it had been pretty thoroughly stripped of anything useful but Jim figured there must be some reason why Khan wanted to come here. Khan released him and headed over to a control bank. Jim leaned weakly against the wall and glanced out one of the nearby view ports.

What he saw made his heart stutter in his chest in a way that had nothing to do with the poisonous fumes he was breathing. It was the Bird of Prey! How the hell had it found them?! They were dead... They were all dead...

" _Khan_!" Jim hissed but either the man didn't hear him or was ignoring him. Jim looked to Khan desperately but he had no idea what Khan was up to; he was fiddling with some of the controls that hadn't been completely dismantled yet, ripping wires out and quickly splicing together others. Jim started to slide weakly down the wall as dark spots danced in front of his eyes. He wasn't going to last much longer.

"Khan..." he whispered weakly, this time earning him a brief glance from the other man before Khan turned back to his task.

The _Botany Bay_ lurched again from whatever it was that Khan had done.

"Brace yourself!" the other man shouted. It wasn't much of a warning; mere seconds later the old ship rocked violently and sent Jim sprawling in an undignified heap across the floor. Even Khan was thrown down by the force of the...explosion, Jim realized. He could see the fireball outside the view ports.

"What the hell did you do?!" Jim wheezed, trying to push himself up but failing.

"I set the nuclear core to explode then jettisoned it towards the Klingon ship," Khan answered as he stood and went back over to the controls. After a moment there came a burst of static from one of the panels, and then Khan began to speak...in perfect Klingon!

"tlhIngan toQDuj. pongwIj 'oH Khan Noonien Singh. nuH yapbe'mo' 'umwI' SoH. ra'wI'ra' ghopDu' ghopDu' vIq qaDta'bogh jIH. qaD batlh. bIHegh. ngaQ lulegh jIH 'ej jIHvaD Qolta'DI' Duj vaj wabmey laj."

Jim, his mouth hanging open, could only stare at the man. Khan, of course, offered no explanation, he simply approached Jim and hauled him up off the floor. He supported Jim's weight when his legs would have collapsed beneath him. It was safe to say Jim had no idea what to expect anymore. So it wasn't so much of a surprise when the bright light of a transporter beam suddenly swirled around them.

* * *

 

They rematerialized on the Klingon ship. The Klingons, unsurprisingly, were waiting for them, weapons drawn. What did surprise Jim was that the vicious aliens did not immediately kill them.

"Stand on your own two feet or die," Khan whispered softly into his ear before releasing his hold on Jim. It didn't give him much time to find his balance, but even though Jim wavered a moment, he was able to remain upright. Khan's warning was not an idle threat. If there was one thing that the Klingons respected, it was strength. If he showed weakness, they were certainly both death.

One of the Klingon's spoke and Khan nodded. The Klingon grunted and made a motion that was pretty easily understood. They were to follow. Jim fell into step beside Khan as the Klingons escorted them through the ship. Thanks to the fresh oxygen (even if it did have a strange odor Jim couldn't define), Jim's head was beginning to clear.

"How the hell do you know how to speak Klingon?" he whispered to Khan.

"Your ship's computers were surprisingly thorough on alien languages," Khan answered just as softly.

"Are you telling me you memorized the whole translator's database?" Jim hissed.

The barest of smiles curled Khan's lips. "Not all of it, but enough."

Jim took a few moments to let that process before he asked, "Why didn't they just kill us?"

"I challenged their captain to single combat. If he refused, he'd lose face in front of his crew. He is now honor-bound to accept my challenge," Khan explained calmly. Jim gaped at him. One of their escorts barked something at Jim, and even though he didn't know exactly what was said, the message was clear: Jim should shut up. So he did, but it didn't stop him from thinking.

_You're fucking insane, Khan._

It didn't take them long to reach the bridge of the Klingon warbird. There were more Klingons waiting for them there, of course, as well as the one that Jim assumed was the captain. He was easy to pick out from the others as he was at least a head taller than the rest (which was really saying something), and half of his face looked like it had been clawed by some great beast. The scar made him look even more fearsome, even without the air of authority that bled off him.

The Klingon captain took one look at them and began to laugh. The other Klingons soon joined in, which definitely didn't make Jim feel any better about their situation.

"I will say this, human. You have courage. Misplaced courage, but courage." The Klingon captain spoke in heavily accented but understandable Standard. Khan appeared unfazed by the Klingon's outburst, standing tall and surprisingly imposing in front of the captain.

"I am not here to amuse you. I am here to fight. Do you accept my challenge, or are you a coward?" The Klingon's mirth faded abruptly at Khan's words.

"Why should I waste my time battling a weak half-dead human? There would be no honor in killing you. Tell me about the weapon you used, and perhaps I will give you a painless death." Jim realized he must be talking about the explosion Khan had caused with the old ship's nuclear power core. The Klingons had probably never seen anything like it and were curious enough to spare their lives for the moment. But that probably wouldn't last long once they realized Khan's little stunt was a one shot deal.

Jim didn't know where Khan was going with this, but it didn't seem like it was going very well. He sure as hell wasn't going to just stand there and wait for the Klingons to tire of toying with them. Jim saw an opening, and took it. The Klingon standing nearest to him was far more focused upon Khan at the moment, and Jim struck out quickly, elbowing the alien hard in the face. Shouts of surprise, and the sounds of weapons readying came from all around, but Jim was quicker. He'd already wrestled the weapon away from the Klingon he'd knocked off balance, and pointed the laser rifle at the Klingon captain.

Everyone froze then. Jim spared a small glance towards Khan, but rather than appearing angry, the man looked impressed. He gave Jim a small nod before turning his attention back to the Klingon captain.

"Underestimating your enemy is a mistake," Khan stated calmly, taking a step towards the now-speechless Klingon captain, "These are my terms. Fight me. One on one. Hand to hand. To the death. Whoever wins will take command of this vessel. The crew of the loser will swear allegiance to the winner."

"What if I refuse? You cannot kill all of us here with one rifle," The Klingon commander spat. "You will still die."

"So will you," Khan replied.

The two stared at each other unflinching for a long time. Finally the Klingon captain started to laugh again.

"Very well, human. I will give you the honor of death at my hands. It will not be quick," The Klingon said viciously, drawing himself up to his full height, towering over Khan. The other Klingons lowered their weapons and started to cheer on their captain, eager for the show, though undoubtedly they expected it to be a short one.

"Please tell me you have a plan," Jim instructed Khan softly, lowering his own weapon reluctantly when Khan motioned for him to do so.

"Do you trust me, Kirk?" Khan asked. Jim thought about Spock's warnings, and everything that had happened so far, and sighed.

"I probably shouldn't. But I do," he answered reluctantly. Khan gave him a small smile.

"Stand back."

Jim did so. It made him nervous to stand alone amongst the other Klingon warriors, the one Jim had humiliated looked especially disgruntled with him. But none of them attacked him. Yet. Most seemed far more interested between the fight between their captain and Khan. Everyone stood along the edge of the bridge, giving the two combatants as much room as possible in the cramped space.

For several moments the two circled around each other, sizing one another up. Finally the Klingon charged at Khan with a roar.

"You die now, human!"

"I am no human," Khan said as he calmly stepped out of the way of the huge alien and sent the Klingon sprawling in a move that had Jim gaping in shock. He apparently wasn't the only one. The Klingon captain, not to mention the rest of his crew, looked just as surprised. The Klingon rose to his feet again, and when he attacked Khan again it was with obviously more caution. Which did him little good. Khan easily blocked blows that would have killed, or at least seriously injured any other man. Jim knew that Klingons were at least three times stronger than humans, and Khan was already injured. The fight should have been over in seconds…unless the Klingon made good on his threat to toy with Khan before killing him. Instead, it appeared Khan was the one toying with the Klingon.

_I am no human._

Bones had told him the same thing. So had Spock. But Jim had never understood what that meant until now.

It was fairly obvious when Khan was through with games. He caught the Klingon in a hold and with a sickening crunch, broke the alien's arm. The Klingon cried out in pain and lashed back at Khan, managing to land a blow that bloodied Khan's lip and staggered the man for a moment, but he recovered quickly. A series of vicious lightning-quick punches sent the Klingon down hard against the deck, bloody and dazed. Khan didn't waste any time moving in for the kill then. Straddling the Klingon, he gripped the alien's head between his hands, and with a fearsome roar, Jim heard the Klingon's skull cave in.

The silence was deafening after that sickening sound. Khan slowly rose to his feet, not even appearing winded by the fight. Jim could only stare at him in awe. He wasn't the only one.

"You have a choice. Fight for me. Or die with him." Khan addressed the Klingons, looking slowly around the room. One by one the Klingons began to holster their weapons. Khan gave a nod to the body on the floor. "Clean that mess up."

A few of the Klingons moved to obey, the rest stood still. Waiting. Khan walked over to the captain's chair and sat. Jim slowly approached him and cleared his throat. Khan raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh…what now?"

"Now? It seems apt to return you to your crew," Khan answered, then said something to the Klingons in their own language.

"Wait, what?"

"After all, no ship should go down without her captain."

It was the last thing Jim heard before the transporter beam swirled around him.

* * *

 

Jim reappeared on the bridge of the _Ricochet_.

"Jim! You're alive!" came a surprised shout from Bones. Jim was relieved to see him, even though the man seemed a little worse for wear, his face bloody and bruised."What the hell happened?" the doctor asked.

"I could ask you the same thing?" Jim replied, looking around the bridge. There were several of Jim's crew present, K'Nelin, Gru'tok, Yera, Spock.  Those who'd always supported Jim. They all looked like they'd been through the wringer and then some. Jim heard a loud bang and realized it came from the doorway to the bridge which had been sealed.

"The shit hit the fan, that's what happened!" the doctor explained. "Ox and about half the crew mutinied. The other half tried to stop them. It's been a fucking bloodbath, Jim. The augments have managed to keep Ox and his men out of Engineering, but…"

"Wait, what?" Jim interrupted, shocked. "The augments?!"

"Khan's crew. Some of them anyway. They were already in control of Engineering when I got there. I tried to get them to shut off power to the airlock, but they wouldn't listen. Said they had other orders. When I heard you'd been shot out into fucking space along with Khan, I wanted to kill them, but we had bigger problems to worry about," Bones explained.

"Who's orders?!"

"Khan's apparently. They also activated the emergency beacon too."

"Leading the Bird of Prey right to us. Motherfucker!" Jim cursed. McCoy nodded.

"Now we've got the fucking Klingons to deal with on top of everything else," Bones cursed and Jim shook his head.

"Khan's dealt with the Klingons. For now."

"What do you mean he _dealt_ with them!"

"I'll explain later. Now we need to deal with this fucking mutiny," Jim growled, pissed off. He couldn't believe Khan had just sent him back here to sort this out himself when it was Khan's fault this had even happened! Jim turned to the rest of his crew who still looked a little shell shocked to see that he was actually alive. He couldn't blame them since, unlike Bones, many of them had actually seen him jettisoned into space!

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not just going to wait here to die." There were shouts of agreement at his words and Bones gave a resigned sigh.

"Fine. What's the plan, Jim?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how correct this is, since I just plugged this into an online translator, when I translated it back to English it didn't make much sense tho. So just pretend this is what he said.
> 
> Khan: Klingon bird of prey. My name is Khan Noonien Singh. You have witnessed the power of my weapons. I challenge your commander to hand to hand combat. Honor my challenge. Or die. Lock on to me and beam me to your ship if you accept my terms.


	15. Chapter 15

Had he been a fool to trust Khan?

Jim honestly had no idea anymore. One moment Khan was saving his life, the next he was throwing Jim to the wolves. He had no idea what game Khan was playing or what to make of his ominous last words. Was Khan going to use the Bird of Prey to destroy them now? Could Jim really blame the man after what some of Jim's crew had done? Surely Khan wouldn't destroy Jim's ship as long as his own people were still on board. But then again, Khan now had a working transporter at his disposal; he could easily beam his people to the Bird of Prey and _then_ destroy them. Or he could simply abandon Jim and his crew here in the middle of nowhere to kill each other. 

Jim did know one thing. He wasn't just going to sit and wait to find out what Khan had in mind for all of them. He hadn’t survived getting stabbed in the chest, shot out of an airlock, breathed toxic fumes aboard a dead ship, and boarded a Klingon warship full of hostile aliens with itchy trigger fingers just to give up now. If he was going to die, he was at least going to go down fighting. 

“Is Scotty still in Engineering?” Jim asked McCoy. 

“The last time I saw him he was.” 

“Contact him on the ship’s com,” he ordered. It was Spock who moved over to one of the intact consoles, and within a few moments gave him a nod.

“Engineering on the com, captain.”

“Scotty, can you hear me?” 

_“Jim? Thank god!”_

“Scotty, is your position secure?” 

_“Aye, for the moment. The bastards haven’t been able to break through yet. Khan’s people have been good for that at least.”_ The engineer sounded disgruntled, but at least he seemed unharmed. And if Khan’s people were still there, Jim hoped that meant he wasn’t planning on blowing them up any time soon. But then again, Khan’s own people had shot him out of an airlock on his order! Who knew what these crazy bastards were capable of?

“Good, I want you to shut down life support systems,” Jim ordered, earning him surprised exclamations from McCoy and his other crew members.

_“Are ye crazy?!”_ the engineer yelled.

“Debatable. Just do it. And make sure there aren’t any warnings when you do. Kirk out.” Jim gave Spock a nod to close down the transmission.

“What the hell are you doing, Jim, are you trying to kill us all?!” McCoy yelled.

“Of course not.” 

“Without life support we’re going to run out of air within minutes!” Bones protested.

“Exactly. And we’ll be prepared for it. They won’t,” Jim said, turning to K’Nelin, who’d been in charge of most of the outside repairs on the _Ricochet_. “Where are the EV suits?”

“Two decks down, port side. How are we going to reach them, Jim? We’re trapped here.,”

“We’re going to have to fight our way out. We might all die, but if we stay here we’re dead anyway. I’d rather go down fighting. Are you with me?”

* * *

The bridge doors were never going to hold out indefinitely. All they had on their side was surprise, and Jim intended to use it to his advantage. The men in charge of breaking their way onto the bridge certainly hadn't expected the doors to suddenly open from the inside. Nor were they prepared for the huge Markalian to charge out with a fearsome roar, using a thick piece of metal torn from the bulkhead to block the blaster bolts, ramming them and forcing them back. Spock, K'Nelin, and Bones offered cover fire with their phasers as they followed the Markalian into the narrow hallway.

The distraction didn't give them the advantage for long, and soon Ox's men began to return fire. Unfortunately they still had the advantage in numbers and fire power. Though, they weren't prepared for opposition to suddenly come from behind as well. Yera, crawling along the ceiling and camouflaged, dropped down behind them and slit two men's throats with a blade before any even realized she was there. 

Gru'tok fell, shot in the leg, and K'Nelin was grazed in the side by a blaster. Bones was hit pretty badly in the shoulder. Ox's men, too confident in their victory now, began to move out from their cover. They weren't expecting any further opposition. 

"Get down!" Jim shouted and threw a makeshift plasma grenade towards their ranks. Many of Ox's men hesitated, probably shocked to see that he was actually still alive, and it was fatal mistake. The crude explosive detonated on impact and shrapnel took out anyone who didn't have some kind of cover. Jim and the rest of his allies dealt with the rest of Ox's men pretty quickly after that. They hadn't come out unscathed, but it definitely could have been worse...

“Jim!” The alarm he heard in the doctor's voice made Jim’s blood freeze even before he turned and saw the reason for it. It was Spock. The old Vulcan was lying on the deck, holding his stomach. A large amount of green blood stained his clothes and his hands, along with the doctor’s who was desperately trying to staunch the flow of it.

“Spock!” Jim ran over to the old Vulcan’s side, dropping to his knees across from Bones. He looked at the doctor desperately. “Bones?”

McCoy looked up at him and the expression on his friend’s face told him everything. “I’m sorry Jim. Even if we got him to the infirmary right away… It was too close to his heart. He’s losing too much blood.” The doctor’s voice broke over his words and Jim’s own heart felt like it had been ripped from his chest.

“Captain…” Spock’s voice was already faint. His face far too pale, splattered with green blood.

“Don’t try to talk, Spock. Save your strength,” Jim implored. “Bones, there has to be _something_ you can do!”

“Jim…” Spock’s bloody hand grasping his own made him turn his attention back to the wounded Vulcan. “Do not grieve. Death is a journey we all must face one day. I…wish I could say I am facing my death without regret. But that is not true.”

“Spock…” 

"I have many regrets, my friend. It never should have been this way; I have caused so much pain and destruction, coming back to this time. Vulcan... Earth... So many dead. So many fates changed. But one of my greatest regrets is what my coming to this time has done to you."

"Me?"

"Commanding a starship… It was always your first, best destiny. You were such…a great man. In my coming here, I robbed you of that future. So much could have been different... I mourned the man you could have been," Spock all but whispered, looking at Jim with such grief it made Jim’s chest feel tight, which had nothing to do with the thinning atmosphere around them. 

“I’m sorry…” Jim whispered, looking away. Spock’s fingers touched his cheek tenderly and forced Jim to return his gaze to the dying Vulcan. The look in Spock’s eyes was full of admiration and…more. Spock’s fingers pressed against his face, and a rush of feelings swept over Jim taking his breath away. What could have been… What should have been… What they might have been together in another time and place.

"No. Do not apologize. That regret no longer troubles me, my friend. These last days... I have finally seen glimpses of that man within you. Perhaps he is not entirely gone." Spock smiled at him.

"Spock, I'm not that man..."

"You could be, Jim," the old Vulcan insisted. Jim swallowed hard.

"What if I don't want to be him?" 

"That decision is, of course, yours," Spock said softly, caressing Jim’s cheek one final time. "Whatever choice you make, know that I have been and shall always be your friend. Live long and...” Spock’s voice trailed off as his eyes slid closed. Jim caught the Vulcan’s hand before it dropped away from his face, holding it there a moment longer. 

“Jim…” Bone’s voice broke him from his contemplation of Spock’s now-still features, and he looked up at the doctor. McCoy’s eyes were not dry either, but his expression and voice were firm. “We can’t stay here.”

Jim nodded slowly, letting go of Spock’s hand. The air was already very thin. They had to get to the EV suits before any of Ox’s men could. By now the others had probably realized what was happening and would no doubt double their efforts getting into engineering. That was where Ox would be.

He turned to Yera and Gru'tok, "Hold this position for as long as you can. I'll send K'Nelin back with a couple of EV suits." The Markalian and Suliban would last longer than any of them in the low air. After receiving nods from both, Jim rose and they made their way as fast as possible to the decks below. 

On the way, they saw the results of Ox's mutiny first hand. As Bones had informed him, many of Jim's crew had been killed and there was really no telling who had been on Jim's side and who wasn't. Some of these people he'd known for years. Some he'd even considered friends, not just crewmates. Yet he'd never known their dissent had run so deep. Ox must have been at this for a long time, sowing the seeds of discontent carefully. Waiting for the right moment. None of this would have happened if Jim had somehow gotten rid of Ox ages ago. Or maybe Khan was right. Maybe it was inevitable. Maybe Jim was a failure at this, just like he'd been a failure all his life. Maybe Bones should have just let him die in that dirty alley all those years ago. 

Jim ruthlessly pushed those doubts away. He'd dwell on them later when he had time to. There were still people counting on him, he had no time to feel sorry for himself now. He couldn't hesitate to pull the trigger when he needed to. 

And he did. More times than he would have liked. He'd let himself feel guilt later. They finally reached the EV suits. The skirmish there was brief thankfully, and they put the suits on quickly. The extra oxygen was a relief once the suits were activated. Jim was never going to take oxygen for granted again after what he'd been through today. As promised, he sent K'Nelin back to the bridge. It was just Bones and him now as they continued on to engineering.

"I still think this is crazy," Bones muttered when they neared the place. They could hear the efforts of Ox's men to get into engineering. 

"It worked for Khan." Jim replied back, earning him a look from the doctor that he didn't bother to rise to. The two of them walked right into the open, and they were quickly spotted. Neither man raised their weapons; it wouldn't have mattered, they were too badly outnumbered anyway. The looks of shock upon seeing him, especially from Ox when the big Orion turned to see what was going on, was quite gratifying.

"You're alive," he heard Ox mutter in disbelief.

"I'm alive," Jim confirmed with a growl, glaring at several of his former crewmates. Some of them started to lower their weapons, appearing apprehensive. "If you want my ship, you're going to have to try harder than that." 

That seemed to break the Orion out of his shock, and he growled furiously at Jim.

"This ship is mine! You'll be dead soon enough! Kill him!" 

"Still too scared to do the deed yourself then, Ox?" 

"What?!" 

"You heard me." 

The Orion roared and charged at Jim. He braced for the collision as best he could. Even weakened from the lack of oxygen throughout the ship, the Orion packed quite a punch. Jim went down hard onto the deck, and gritted his teeth against the pain. Between the stab wound to the chest and decompression, Jim was already at a disadvantage, would have been at a disadvantage even if he was at full strength. If he fought fair. Jim had no intention of fighting fair.

"I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!" Ox yelled, grabbing Jim, probably intending to tear the EV suit off of him. He realized his mistake when Jim hit a button on the suit causing the power supply to overload and electrocute the Orion. Ox screamed and tried to pull away, but Jim grabbed him. He was safe inside the insulated suit. The Orion was not. His body jerked and twisted grotesquely in agony. 

"Please..." Jim thought he heard the Orion whimper at some point, but Jim was beyond pity now. Eventually the Orion slumped over dead. His skin was burnt and his smoking body still twitched slightly until Jim finally released him. Jim quickly deactivated the suit and all but ripped it off. It was smoldering as well. He was immediately light-headed again due to the low oxygen but he rose to his feet and stood tall in front of his remaining crewmates. They stared at him in shock. Even bones looked more than a little nauseous. 

Ox's men dropped their weapons. They didn't have much choice anymore but to surrender. It was either that or suffocate. Jim gave a nod to Bones.

"Tell Scotty to turn the life support back on," Jim ordered. 

It was over.

* * *

More than two thirds of Jim's crew were dead. Those left had the gruesome task now of getting rid of the bodies. Most would receive quick funerals. Unfortunately they didn't really have resources for much more. 

Such a fucking waste...

Once the crisis had passed, Khan's people willingly gave control of Engineering back to them. Apparently they'd been in contact with Khan the whole time and had already informed their leader of Kirk's victory. Therefore it wasn't much of a surprise when Jim heard Khan's voice behind him once the smoke had finally cleared, metaphorically. 

"Congratulations, Captain." 

Jim whirled to face the man, his fists clenching with fury.

“You son of a bitch!” Jim yelled as he punched Khan as hard as he could across his face. He saw some of Khan’s men step forward, but the augment raised his hand and they kept their distance. Khan did not appear all that surprised by Jim's outburst, and that only fueled Jim’s rage. He struck the older man again. His knuckles split open, leaving streaks of red across Khan’s face, but to Jim’s utter frustration, his blows left no other marks on the man. 

Already exhausted from the ordeal, Jim nearly collapsed after delivering one final strong punch. He slumped, gasping for breath, his hands on his knees. Khan watched him with an assessing eye. 

“Are you finished?” The augment asked calmly. Jim growled in the back of his throat as he glared up at Khan.

“You could have stopped this… At any time,” he accused. Khan merely nodded, “Why?”

“I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to see if you were strong enough to take back what had been stolen from you. You did not disappoint me, Kirk.” Jim felt the urge to start punching the man again, even though it would probably do no good. 

“People died, damn it. Spock…” Jim’s voice broke.

“Everyone dies, Captain. You. Me. How we die is not nearly as important as how we choose to live. How do you choose to live?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Join me.” Khan looked past him to the remainder of Jim’s crew. “All of you. Pledge yourselves to me. Fight for me. I will treat you well, and glory beyond imagining will be yours.” 

Jim stared at Khan, his mouth hanging open in shock for several moments, but he finally regained his composure.

“Fuck you, Khan,” Jim hissed, turning his back on the man to walk away. There were murmurs of disbelief from some of Khan’s followers, and he wasn’t all that surprised when Khan suddenly reached out to grab his arm.

Jim glared at him. Khan’s gaze was just as fierce.

“Is this really what you want? For you and your people to die here in the cold of space? To be forgotten? Do not be foolish. I will not ask again,” Khan said softly. Jim pulled his arm free roughly and walked away.

Khan was wrong. They weren’t going to die here. The Bird of Prey was certainly their best hope of getting out of here alive but… No. Jim would think of something. As far as he concerned, their situation hadn’t changed at all. They would repair the ship. Warp to the nearest port. If some of his crew wanted to go with Khan, he couldn’t blame them, and he wouldn’t try to stop them either. 

But he wasn’t going anywhere with him. Not after what he’d done…

“Jim. Can I talk to you a minute?” McCoy’s voice came from behind him.

“Sure, Bones,” Jim said, wearily leaning up against the wall. He felt tired. Physically and mentally drained. The last thing he wanted was to have a fight with the older man. “Look, if you want to take Khan up on his offer…”

The doctor shook his head. 

“It’s your call. I’ll stand by you, whatever you decide. But I think you should reconsider,” McCoy said bluntly, making Jim stare at him in shock.

“What? How the hell can you say that, Bones? After what he did…”

“Look, I don't like the bastard. Far from it. But I've never seen you so damned... alive before all this happened. You need to stop running and do something worthwhile with your life. Spock was right, Jim: you’re a good man, but you could be a great man.” Bones glanced over towards Khan. “With him, you could be a great man.” 

“I’m not a good man, Bones,” Jim whispered only to have the doctor snort in disbelief.

“Bullshit.” 

Jim only sighed, not wanting an argument over this of all things. 

“You think I want that?” Jim asked instead.

“Isn’t that what everyone wants?”


	16. Chapter 16

Jim knew he didn't have long to decide. Khan and his people were already in the process of moving the rest of the cryotubes to the Bird of Prey. Some of the tubes were functioning better than others after three hundred years in deep space. The ones safe to open were done so immediately. The rest would wait until proper medical facilities were available to treat their occupants as necessary.

Scotty explained that apparently Khan had set only a fraction of the cryotubes to automatically revive the people inside so it would not be readily noticeable to anyone while he led Jim's crew on an elaborate game of hide and seek to stall for time. Once awake, the augments had easily taken control of Engineering right from under their noses and followed Khan's plan to the letter. As much as Jim hated to admit it, it had been a genius strategy. He was almost afraid of what Khan might be capable of with more time, resources, and people at his disposal. Which was why, despite the lack of time, Jim wasn't going to make any rash decisions. He'd made that mistake far too many times to count, and look what it had cost him?

Once again, Jim wondered what his life might have been like if he'd taken that Starfleet captain… Jim couldn't even remember his name anymore… up on his offer. Would it have changed anything? Would he be just another frozen body floating eternally in blackness of space around what used to be Vulcan? Could things have been different? Had he made a mistake? Another in a long line of mistakes he'd made up until this moment? Could he have been the man that Spock thought of so highly? Could he still be that man? Or was it too late?

Jim still had his doubts about that, but thinking of those last moments with Spock, a man he'd barely gotten to know in this life, but who'd apparently known him intimately in another made him pause. What he'd felt from Spock in that brief moment when their minds had touched, such love and utter faith, made him want to try. If only to honor Spock's memory, he would try to be that man.

Decision made, Jim spoke quickly with what remained of his crew. McCoy had already decided. The rest were pretty easy to persuade. After all, they wanted to live. Khan and the Bird of Prey were their best chance of getting out of here alive. For most it was a pretty easy choice. Some still had doubts, Jim could tell, but they weren't voiced.

Finally, Jim went looking for Khan. He was not difficult to find, but getting to talk to the man was proving more difficult than he'd anticipated. One of the augments, a tall man with short dark hair and dark eyes blocked his path with a scowl.

"I want to talk to Khan," Jim stated as calmly as he was able, glaring down at the hand that the augment had placed on his chest to stop him. The man dropped his hand but did not get out of Jim's way.

"Why?" The augment demanded, looking at Jim like he was a piece of excrement he'd just scraped off his boot.

"That's my business," Jim snapped. He could tell the guy was looking for a fight, and Jim was at a point where he was willing to give it to him, even if the augment actually _did_ end up scraping him off his boots when it was over. In hindsight, perhaps repeatedly punching their leader in front of them hadn't been the best way to endear himself to the rest of Khan's crew.

"It's fine, Joaquin," came Khan's voice from within the hold, diffusing the situation before things could escalate.

"Sir?"

"Go help the others with the last of the cryotubes, I will not be long," Khan ordered. Joaquin nodded and immediately went to obey. Jim frowned as he walked away and then turned his attention to Khan.

"Nice attack dog you have there." Jim's comment was met with a disapproving frown.

"Joaquin swore to live and die at my command three hundred years before you were born, Kirk. His loyalty is admirable."

"Is that what you demand from those who follow you?"

"Loyalty? Of course."

"To die for you," Jim clarified.

"On occasion, sacrifices must be made. War is never won without bloodshed. You know this as well as I do," Khan replied.

"War? What do you plan on doing exactly?" Jim asked tensely. One of the reasons why he'd run away from Earth so long ago was so he _wouldn't_ get sucked into the middle of a war.

"I plan on continuing the work I began before we were exiled," Khan replied with a cryptic smile.

"Which was what?" Jim prodded further.

"You certainly have many questions." Khan changed the subject, though he didn't sound very upset by Jim's queries. More amused if anything.

"Oh, am I not allowed to question you now? Only obey? That sounds like slavery to me," Jim countered.

"I am merely curious why it matters to you so much," Khan replied with a smirk and Jim's hands clenched into fists at his side. He'd thought he'd already made his decision, but apparently he still had his own doubts. Especially given this most recent exchange. To make matters worse, Khan probably already suspected exactly why Jim had come to speak to him, and it was like rubbing salt in an open wound.

"Never mind. I made a mistake," Jim said decisively. Even if they all ended up dying out here, Jim would rather be dead than a slave. Especially a slave to a man like Khan. And also to die in some war he never wanted to be a part of in the first place. Jim turned to go again, but Khan's voice stopped him.

"Kirk. I do not want slaves. Yes, I want soldiers, but I do not require blind obedience."

"You could have fooled me," Jim muttered.

Jim felt Khan step closer to him. It made his skin tingle as though he was standing close to a live wire. He felt the man's hands grasp his upper arms, firm but not restraining; Jim knew he could pull away if he wanted to. He didn't.

"You misunderstand. My people would live and die for me. I would do the same for them." Khan whispered into his ear, his warm breath against Jim's flesh made him shiver. "My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?" His body reacting to Khan's proximity against his will, Jim swallowed hard.

Family. It had been a long time since he'd thought of that word. At least what it meant to him. His father had died the day he was born. For all intents and purposes, his mother had died with him. Even when she was around there had always been such an air of grief whenever she looked at him, Jim felt as though _he_ was the one who'd killed his father rather than the Romulans. His brother had run off one day and Jim had never seen him again. Didn't even know if he was still alive. What did he really know about family? Could he learn? Could Khan teach him? Or was it all just pretty words? Did it matter?

"What if I don't want to get involved in a war?" Jim asked instead. Khan snorted softly.

"You are already involved whether you wish to admit it or not. It is time you chose a side, Kirk."

"Are you telling me if I'm not your ally then I'm your enemy?"

"I would rather it not come to that."

Jim closed his eyes. Ox might have been right after all. He should have killed Khan when he had the chance. It was too late now, and as captain it was Jim's duty to put his crew's welfare above anything else. Jim had failed in that once already. He couldn't fail again. He nodded slowly.

"My crew will agree to join you. They'll follow you. Fight for you. On the condition that you treat them as you would your own people." Jim forced himself to say it despite his doubts.

"And?"

Jim froze.

"And what?"

"What about you, Captain?" Khan practically purred in his ear, and Jim felt himself flush in spite of everything, torn between desire, his body reacting to Khan's proximity and anger. Was Khan mocking him now?

"I'll follow you. You have my word." Jim would ignore his pride, if that's what it took, if that's what Khan wanted to hear from him.

"That's not what I want," Khan all but growled, and his abrupt change in demeanor made fear burn through Jim's veins like acid. Was Khan actually going to refuse his offer? Leave them stranded here after all? Or worse, destroy them? Khan abruptly forced Jim around to face him, and then drew him even closer. Jim's hands came up automatically to steady himself, grasping Khan's arms similarly to how Khan was holding him.

"Do you want me to beg?" Jim asked, his voice shaking a little now as anger crept into his voice instead of fear. Surprisingly, Khan smiled at him.

"Open your heart," Khan's words made Jim's eyes widen in surprise.

"What?" he all but squeaked breathlessly.

"Will you open your heart to me?" Khan repeated, staring into Jim's eyes intently. Jim swallowed hard. What the hell was Khan asking him? He'd just all but threatened to kill them if they didn't join him, and now he wanted… What exactly? If Khan was just demanding that Jim have sex with him again in exchange for taking them on the Bird of Prey… Jim would be disappointed, and more than a little pissed off, but _that_ at least he could understand. He'd certainly whored himself for less before. But it seemed as though Khan was demanding more than just his body in payment and…

Jim couldn't deny that Khan had intrigued him since the moment he'd first laid eyes on him. He was attractive, charismatic, brilliant, and fucking amazing in bed. He supposed it wouldn't be much of a hardship if he _did_ need to whore himself to remain in Khan's good graces. But he was also violent, arrogant, terrifying, ruthless, impossible to predict, and wouldn't hesitate to kill all of them to achieve his goals. Everything Spock had said he was.

Something changed in Khan's expression as Jim's silence stretched, and before he could say anything the augment lifted a finger to press against Jim's lips.

"No. Don't answer now," Khan said softly. The man didn't look happy, far from it in fact. But Jim felt some of the tension bleed out of him when Khan finally released him and stepped back. When Khan spoke again he was completely businesslike. "Have your people gather whatever they wish to take with them. We leave within the hour."

* * *

 

Barely an hour later Jim stood on the bridge of the newly christened Bird of Prey, _Vengeance_ , and watched as the _Ricochet_ and the _Botany_ _Bay_ were engulfed in a bright orange fireball. The torpedoes made quick work of erasing any traces of the two ships left behind.

Once it was done, Khan spoke in Klingon to the pilot and they were leaving the debris, their dead, and their old lives behind. He watched the star trails on the view screen as they entered warp. Their destination? Unknown. Their purpose? Also unknown. In a stolen Bird of Prey full of Klingons, twentieth-century augmented humans, and former pirates.

It was absolutely insane… Or the start of a really bad joke. This had the potential to come back and bite them on the ass.

He glanced at Bones as the former doctor came to stand beside him, his scarred face just as grave as Jim's. Then he looked towards Khan, sitting in the captain's chair like a fucking king. Like the Klingon captain he'd watched Khan kill with his bare hands.

It should have been impossible. A lot of things Khan had done should have been impossible. Whatever Khan was planning, Jim had no illusions it was going to be easy. Yet despite his trepidation and doubts, for the first time in a long time, Jim felt excitement for the future building inside of him. Maybe Bones was right. He'd been running away for far too long. But now he felt _alive_.

Joaquin looked at him over his shoulder from where he stood next to Khan, and glared with unmasked hostility. Jim found himself grinning in spite of everything.

Maybe it was crazy. But, if nothing else, it was bound to be one hell of a ride. He might as well enjoy it.


End file.
